Gov Umahi's brother arrested by EFCC over N400m Campaign Fund

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday an­nounced the arrest of Mr Austin Umahi, the National Vice Chairman of PDP (South East) and a brother to Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Dave Umahi.
He was arrested along with two others, Chinyere Egwuche and Mabel Dikibo, for their alleged involvement in a four hundred million naira (N400,000,000) fraud linked to the 2015 election campaign funds.
A press statement from Enugu office of EFCC made available to Reporters dis­closed that both Austin Umahi and the three other suspects were all staff of Brass Engineer­ing and Construction Nigeria limited and Os­born La-Palm Royal Re­sort, which EFCC inves­tigations so far proved were the major outlets through which the N400 million naira 2015 presi­dential campaign funds, initially lodged at Fideli­ty Bank, were transferred to some other banks.

EFCC said their arrest was sequel to their refus­al to collect and honour earlier invitations by the commission.
Austin Umahi dou­bles as the Chairman of both companies, while Chinyere Egwuche and Mabel Dikibo were sig­natories to the compa­nies’ accounts as at the time the 2015 presiden­tial campaign money was transferred into the account of the two com­panies.
According to the EFCC, investigations by the Commission re­vealed that the sum of N400, 000, 000 was re­leased by the Director of Finance, PDP Presiden­tial Campaign Organ­isation, Senator Nenadi Usman to PDP Ebonyi State for the 2015 presi­dential election. It said the said fund was moved from Fidelity Bank Abakaliki on March 27 2015 where it was ini­tially deposited to an Access Bank Abakaliki account from where one Maxwell Umahi further moved N100, 000,000m and N300, 000,000m into the accounts of Brass Engineering & Construction Nigeria Limited and Osborn La-Palm Royal Resort, respectively.