The Attorney General's office offered new legal advice exonerating Kyari from #money #laundering allegations in the $1.1 million online fraud involving Ramon #Hushpuppi" Abass and DCP Abba Kyari.
Following further investigations, the AGF's office has stated that there are no linkages with Kyari, despite the fact that the DIG Joseph Egbunike-led Special Investigation Panel produced a prima facie case of money laundering involving 33 payments.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Ministry of Justice, Mohammed Abubakar, wrote a new legal opinion on behalf of the AGF with the reference number DPPA/LA/814/21, emphasising that the material contained in the case diary had no link between DCP Abba Kyari and Hushpuppi.
The evidence in the case diary "was not sufficient to indicate or show that the said monies (N279 million) were laundered directly or indirectly by Kyari to disguise their origin," according to the report, which also stated that "the police report on the investigation failed to probe the gaps identified in their investigation by the AGF office."
The letter to IGP Usman Alkali Baba was titled "Re: Forwarding of the Nigeria Police Force Special Investigation Team investigation report and request for legal advice with regards to allegations of criminal conspiracy, aiding and abetting #Internet fraud, wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering against DCP Abba Kyari."
"I am directed to inform you that after a careful study of the said response wherein you stated that 'the monies have been traced to account no. 2255416115 belonging to Usman Ibrahim Waziri; account no. 0130665392 belonging to Adekoya Sikiru; account no. 2080537566 belonging to Hussein Ala and other funds went to Sharon Festus,' I am directed to inform you that after a careful study of the said response wherein you stated The money was taken out and used by the aforementioned account holders as well as the lady.
"We believe the above response does not link the suspect, DCP Abba Kyari, to the crime of money laundering because the evidence in the case diary is insufficient to indicate or show that the said monies were laundered directly or indirectly by Kyari to disguise their origin, especially since the aforementioned recipients or receivers exonerated him in their statements as having nothing to do with the monies."
As a result, the AGF office advised the IGP and Police management to investigate Kyari's conduct in his capacity as a senior officer and head of the IRT through the Police Service Commission (PSC), which is constitutionally empowered to carry out disciplinary functions for violating the code of conduct for #law enforcement officers by hobnobbing with suspected fraudsters and people of dubious means in his capacity as a senior officer and head of the IRT.
DCP Kyari was also liable to be sanctioned for violating the police's social media policy by responding to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's indictment on Facebook; breaching the Police Code of Professional Ethics by acting on complaints unilaterally without recourse to established protocol; and detaining a suspect, Vincent Chibuzor, for over a month without a valid court order and disregarding his fundamental human rights, according to the new advice.