The confession has brought to three the number of former ministers who have owned up to roles in the scandal. Four are on the list of 20 suspects being probed over the scam.
The Nation reported exclusively yesterday that two former ministers admitted that they benefited from the bribe.
The four former ministers are the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Mohammed Haliru Bello (a former Minister of Communication); Chief Cornelius Adebayo and Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju (former Ministers of Communication); and a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof. Jibril Aminu, who is also a senator.
But the EFCC has refused to name the three, who admitted taking gratification from the German firm.
A highly-placed source in the commission said: "So far, three ex-ministers have admitted to have benefited from the bribery scam. You know two ex-ministers had earlier confessed but another did so today.
"We have also asked the ex-minister to put his confession in writing."
Bello was grilled yesterday for hours over his alleged involvement in the scam.
The commission also confirmed that 19 other top Nigerians might be quizzed over the scandal.
Of the 19 suspects, a former Minister of Communication, Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju, is expected to appear before a six-man panel of the EFCC today.
The PDP chief arrived at the sitting of the panel at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) Annex in Abuja at about 3.30pm.
Bello was scheduled to be with the probe team at about 12pm, but he was said to have been held back by what a source described as "party matters".
The grilling, which was done behind closed doors, was expected to go far into the night.
A source, who pleaded not to be named, said: "Since the case was an inherited investigation, we asked him to make a fresh statement – in the light of preliminary findings of the ICPC in 2007.
"After writing his statement, the team decided to isolate issues to ascertain how he came into the picture of the ongoing probe.
"All I can tell you now is that Bello is making a statement on what he knew about the Siemens deal."
As at press time, it was difficult to ascertain what Bello told the investigators as all the parties were still in a conference room where the session was holding.
Asked if the EFCC would detain Bello, the source said: "I don’t think so, since all the suspects are readily available to testify and they have always honoured invitation since 2007."
Bello was released at 7.15p.m. He returned home at 7.35p.m.
A source said he was received at EFCC with courtesy.
EFCC’s spokesman Femi Babafemi told reporters: "It is a process that has just begun. I am aware that one of them came today and another is likely to come tomorrow (today)."
Babafemi refused to give details, but a schedule showed that Olanrewaju would appear today before the panel.
Responding to a question, Babafemi said: "Those invited by the committee for interaction are between 15 and 20."
He did not disclose the invitees because "the process is ongoing".
Besides Bello, three other former ministers have been listed for interrogation.
Siemens, a telecommunication firm, was involved in about 1.3billion euros bribery payments in some countries between 2001 and 2004.
Of the suspicious payments, 17.5million euros was given to some Nigerian ministers and government officials during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
After its admission of guilt, Siemens was fined 201million euros ($248m) by a Munich court on October 4, 2007.
April 21, a Munich court found two former Siemens managers guilty of breach of trust and abetting bribery for their roles in Nigeria
Michael Kutschenreuter, a former financial head of its telecoms unit, was placed on probation for two years and fined 160,000 euros ($215,300). A second defendant, the former head of accounting at Siemens’ telecoms unit, was placed on probation for one-and-a-half years and fined 40,000 euros.
The Nation reported exclusively yesterday that two former ministers admitted that they benefited from the bribe.
The four former ministers are the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Mohammed Haliru Bello (a former Minister of Communication); Chief Cornelius Adebayo and Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju (former Ministers of Communication); and a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof. Jibril Aminu, who is also a senator.
But the EFCC has refused to name the three, who admitted taking gratification from the German firm.
A highly-placed source in the commission said: "So far, three ex-ministers have admitted to have benefited from the bribery scam. You know two ex-ministers had earlier confessed but another did so today.
"We have also asked the ex-minister to put his confession in writing."
Bello was grilled yesterday for hours over his alleged involvement in the scam.
The commission also confirmed that 19 other top Nigerians might be quizzed over the scandal.
Of the 19 suspects, a former Minister of Communication, Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju, is expected to appear before a six-man panel of the EFCC today.
The PDP chief arrived at the sitting of the panel at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) Annex in Abuja at about 3.30pm.
Bello was scheduled to be with the probe team at about 12pm, but he was said to have been held back by what a source described as "party matters".
The grilling, which was done behind closed doors, was expected to go far into the night.
A source, who pleaded not to be named, said: "Since the case was an inherited investigation, we asked him to make a fresh statement – in the light of preliminary findings of the ICPC in 2007.
"After writing his statement, the team decided to isolate issues to ascertain how he came into the picture of the ongoing probe.
"All I can tell you now is that Bello is making a statement on what he knew about the Siemens deal."
As at press time, it was difficult to ascertain what Bello told the investigators as all the parties were still in a conference room where the session was holding.
Asked if the EFCC would detain Bello, the source said: "I don’t think so, since all the suspects are readily available to testify and they have always honoured invitation since 2007."
Bello was released at 7.15p.m. He returned home at 7.35p.m.
A source said he was received at EFCC with courtesy.
EFCC’s spokesman Femi Babafemi told reporters: "It is a process that has just begun. I am aware that one of them came today and another is likely to come tomorrow (today)."
Babafemi refused to give details, but a schedule showed that Olanrewaju would appear today before the panel.
Responding to a question, Babafemi said: "Those invited by the committee for interaction are between 15 and 20."
He did not disclose the invitees because "the process is ongoing".
Besides Bello, three other former ministers have been listed for interrogation.
Siemens, a telecommunication firm, was involved in about 1.3billion euros bribery payments in some countries between 2001 and 2004.
Of the suspicious payments, 17.5million euros was given to some Nigerian ministers and government officials during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
After its admission of guilt, Siemens was fined 201million euros ($248m) by a Munich court on October 4, 2007.
April 21, a Munich court found two former Siemens managers guilty of breach of trust and abetting bribery for their roles in Nigeria
Michael Kutschenreuter, a former financial head of its telecoms unit, was placed on probation for two years and fined 160,000 euros ($215,300). A second defendant, the former head of accounting at Siemens’ telecoms unit, was placed on probation for one-and-a-half years and fined 40,000 euros.
