Fowler undergoes second day of EFCC grilling

Babatunde Fowler

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday resumed the interrogation of an ex-chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Babatunde Fowler.

Mr Fowler was quizzed for several hours on Monday over the N100 billion tax evasion allegations levelled against a tax firm Alpha Beta Consulting.

EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren confirmed to the news media that Fowler, who is also a former chief executive of Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, was asked to return following interrogation on Monday.

“He was allowed to go home last night and he has returned this morning,” he said.

A former managing director and chief executive officer of Alpha Beta Consulting Dapo Apara had accused the firm of tax fraud.

In a petition to the EFCC in 2018, Mr Apara said Alpha Beta, the firm given exclusive rights to monitor and collect internally generated revenue on behalf of the Lagos Government, “has become an avenue for official corruption of government officials, a conduit pipe for massive money-laundering scheme, tax evasion, among other vices.”

It was gathered that the current management of FIRS is helping with the investigation.