The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has submitted an interim investigation report to President Bola Tinubu, concluding that the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) had no legal existence and was never authorised by the Federal Government.
ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu, disclosed the findings on Wednesday after presenting the report to the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following a 30-day investigation ordered by Tinubu.
The probe was launched after allegations emerged over the operations of the purported council and the activities of its self-acclaimed Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.
According to Aliyu, investigators established that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Presidency or any government authority, while documents presented to support his claims, including an appointment letter, were found to have been forged.
He further revealed that the commission confirmed the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council was never created through legislation, an executive order or any other lawful government instrument.
The ICPC chairman said the suspect allegedly exploited the identity and facilities of the former Presidential Economic Advisory Council, unlawfully occupying office space after gaining access to the premises without authorisation.
He explained that investigators found evidence indicating the office used by the alleged council had been forcibly accessed, enabling Adeyemi to operate from the location while presenting himself as the head of a federal agency.
Aliyu also disclosed that the investigation uncovered lapses in government verification procedures and inter-agency coordination, which were allegedly exploited to sustain the fraudulent operation.
Despite the activities of the purported agency, the commission said no Federal Government funds were allocated or released to the council.
The investigation further uncovered two additional fictitious government agencies allegedly created by Adeyemi to expand the scheme.
The agencies were identified as the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public Private Partnership.
According to the ICPC, forged legislative documents purporting to establish the agencies were used to facilitate the opening of bank accounts in a commercial bank for their operations.
Aliyu said the commission had recommended the prosecution of Adeyemi over the alleged forgery, impersonation and related offences.
He added that disciplinary measures had also been proposed against public officials whose negligence and failure to observe due diligence allegedly enabled the fraudulent activities to continue undetected.
The ICPC chairman said the report equally recommends comprehensive institutional reforms to strengthen internal controls across ministries, departments and agencies, improve verification processes and prevent similar cases of impersonation and abuse of government identity in the future.
