Yusuf Bello| Justice Ayo Salami, the chairman of the presidential panel probing allegations of corruption against the susended chairman of the Economicand Financial Crime Commission, Ibrahim Magu on Tuesday denied media reports that he expressed regrets for accepting the appointment.
The retired president of the Court of Appeal was quoted to have expressed regrets over his decision to accept the appointment during the proceedings of the panel last week by two lawyers representing Magu.
But Salami in a statement on Tuesday maintained that he had no cause to express any regret over his chairmanship of the commission, not to talk of betraying any form of emotion as contained in the media reports.
But in a statement seen by Alabingo.com, Salami while denying the claim, said nothing could be further from the truth, adding that the reports were a figment of the wild imagination of the reporter, and the two lawyers quoted as his sources.
He said, “No claims can be further from the truth than the outright falsehood contained in the said report.”
“The reports were a figment of the wild imagination of the reporter, the two lawyers quoted as his sources and the medium that published the story.
“There was no time anything near the unthinkable scenario painted in the false story occurred in any meeting between myself and the lawyers to Magu or any other person, for that matter, since the Judicial Commission of Inquiry began its sittings.
“l have no cause to express any regret over my chairmanship of the Commission, not to talk of betraying any form of emotion before anyone about it.
“I see my appointment to serve as the Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry as an honour and call to service, thus my decision to accept diligently and patriotically discharge this responsibility.
“I have never appointed any of the two lawyers or any other person(s) to speak on my behalf as I can express myself without recourse to the lawyers of the persons we are probing.
“As an eminent jurist, who retired as the President of the Court of Appeal, I have handled much more complex cases than the current one before the Commission.”
According to Salami, “the false reports were aimed at causing mischief and tarnishing my hard-earned reputation and integrity”.
“I remain resolute and committed to the service of the nation and ready to champion the ideals of justice and fairness,” Salami concluded.
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