TURAKI PLANS ESCAPE, DECLARES FALSE AFFIDAVIT

…AS SINGAPOREAN HOSPITAL DENIES HIM

Saminu Turaki

A Singaporean hospital, Raffles Hospital, North Bridge, Singapore, has denied knowledge of a proposed medical visit by embattled former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Saminu Turaki who is standing trials for embezzling over N31 Billion state funds.

Alhaji Turaki had recently sworn to a 17 paragraph affidavit in support of an application for medical check-up in Singapore. He had stood before a commissioner for Oath with Holden at Federal High Court in Kano and declared that he had secured an appointment for a follow-up medical visit at the hospital in Singapore, raising concern that the alleged appointment could be a smokescreen for Turaki to escape prosecution.

“That I have a follow-up medical treatment with my personal doctor, Lee Par of Raffle Hospital, North Bridge, Singapore, who have had the conduct of my health for a period spanning about 10 years now.” Turaki said in the affidavit.

Pointblanknews.com having received a tip-off that Turaki may be trying to fool members of the Nigerian Bench decided to double-check the content of the affidavit. An official of the hospital who simply identified herself as Margaret said “ I have gone through our records, I have run through our database, there is no such scheduled appointment for the individual you have just mentioned.”

She was also advised to double-check and confirm the name of the physician, Dr. Lee Par, who was said to have handled the details of the said expected visit. Ms. Margaret said, “sir, we do not have such physician in this hospital. All schedules are handled by assistant personnel’s at the front desk. I am sorry we don’t have that name here”

Pointblanknews.com further urged the official to confirm if the said Dr. Par is a Consultant Cardiologist, she insisted that “I cannot find that name on the list of our consultants or resident doctors.”

However, a follow-up email clarification was dispatched by the hospital, signed by Cheryl Siew, Deputy Manager, Raffles Hospital. It reads:

“Greetings from Raffles Hospital, Singapore!

We referred to your enquiry. We do not have a Dr Lee Par with our hospital.
With regards to the appointment, we are sorry that due to patient
confidentiality, we are unable to reveal this info to you

Warmest Regards.”

It would be recalled that ex-Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State who is also standing trials for embezzling about N3.1 Billion state funds earlier in year made a similar false claim that he had been invited to the U.S to accompany his wife for a surgery at the Brigham and Women Hospital, Massachusetts.

But the Brigham and Women Hospital, MA, through Dr. Kwan and Heather Galvin, both assistants to Dr. Peter Black, the alleged signatory to the Kalu’s letter denied knowledge of such letter.

Already some contemporaries of Turaki and Kalu indicted and expected to be prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC have concocted one story or the other to run away from Nigeria. The roll call: Chief James Ibori, Chief Lucky Igbinedion and Obong Victor Attah.

Toying with perjury, an act of deliberately misleading a law court or other duly constituted authorities is becoming a past time amongst dubious politicians and individuals in Nigeria. A multi-layer mandate is ascribed to various law enforcement agencies in the country to prosecute people suspected of acting in manners suspected or adjudged to be perjury. If actually Turaki cooked up the content of the sworn affidavit, he may have stretched his luck too far.

The same ex-Governor Turaki remains an individual of interest in an alleged diplomatic passport scam with Bourkinabe authorities. It was alleged that Turaki submitted an official Diplomatic Passport No. 01007812 belonging to Bourkinafaso which he claimed was issued to him as a matter of executive privilege by President Blaise Campaore. Authorities in Bourkinafaso denied issuing such passport to him or anyone.