Ayoola who did not name the banks also accused some of the
incumbent public officials of engaging in anticipatory declaration of assets to
cover up their corrupt and fraudulent deeds whenever their tenure of office
expired.
Ayoola disclosed these at the on-going Stakeholders Summit
on Anti-Corruption, Rule of law and the Administration of Criminal Justice in
Nigeria at the Conference Hall of the Kaduna International Trade and
Investigation Centre.
He said the modus operandi of such banks included opening
secret and ghost accounts for these corrupt public officials and aiding them to
move the looted funds to avoid detection by investigating authorities.
He said that such banks were involved in the money
laundering activities of some public officials,adding that such financial
institutions should be closely monitored and investigated.
The ICPC boss however lamented that such banks constituted
a hinderance to the commission’s quest to detect and identify questionable
assets of corrupt public officials.
Ayoola disclosed that over $US500bn had been looted from
the nation’s coffers since independence by dishonest political office holders
and public officials urged the National Assembly to pass the Freedom of
Information bill to encourage “whistle blowers” to monitor corrupt public
officials.
