Forex Probe: Dangote Group clarifies EFCC’s visit to Head Office

The Dangote Group has expressed readiness to assist the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in its investigations, following the commission’s visit to the company’s head office in Lagos.

Our reporter recalls that EFCC operatives on Jan. 4, embarked on a search mission to the head office of Dangote Group in Lagos.

The search followed the probe of 52 companies by the anti-graft agency over forex transactions in the last 10 years.

The commission is investigating forex allocations to these companies during the tenure of Godwin Emefiele as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The Dangote Group gave the assurance in a statement signed by Mr Anthony Chiejina, its Group Chief, Branding and Communication on Sunday in Lagos.

According to the statement, the company’s management also doused the concerns of stakeholders and called for their patience and understanding while promising to inform them of any further developments.

The company disclosed that it received a letter from the EFCC on Dec. 6, 2023, requesting for details of every foreign exchange allocated to it by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from 2014 till date.

It described the request from the commission as not peculiar to Dangote Group, noting that similar letters were sent to 51 other groups of companies requesting for same information spanning same period.

According to the statement, Dangote Group responded to the EFCC to acknowledge receipt of the letter whilst seeking clarification on the subsidiaries or companies within the group that they require information on.

It stated that the company also requested for additional time to compile and properly present the extensive documentation spanning 10 years.

“However, the EFCC did not provide the clarification sought and also did not honour the request for an extension and insisted on receiving the complete set of documents within the limited timeframe.

“In spite of this constraint, we assured the EFCC of our commitment to providing the information and pledged to share documents in batches as we complete the compilation.

“On Jan. 4, our team delivered the first batch of documents to the EFCC. However, officers of the EFCC did not accept the documents, insisting on visiting our offices to collect the same set of documents directly.

“Whilst our representatives were still at the EFCC’s office to deliver the documents, a team of their officers proceeded to visit our offices to demand for the same documents in a manner that appeared designed to cause us unwarranted embarrassment,” it said.

The company emphasised that to its knowledge, no accusations of wrongdoing had been made against any company within its group.

It stated that as a law-abiding and ethical corporate citizen, Dangote Group remained committed to providing the EFCC with all necessary information and cooperation, while it continued to play its key role in stimulating the domestic economy.

“We have already delivered the first batch of documents and are actively working to compile and submit the remaining documents in good time, to aid their investigation.

“Our Group is a key contributor to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) the largest employer in the private sector, one of the largest groups listed on the Nigerian Exchange and one of the highest taxpayers in the country.

“We remain steadfast in our belief in Nigeria’s commitment to the rule of law and its dedication to fostering an environment conducive for investment and value creation for both local and foreign investors,” it said.