By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has begun moves to get at the immediate past governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, who is alleged to have misappropriated huge sums belonging to the state during his tenure.

As a prelude to ascertaining crucial information necessary for bringing Chime to account for the funds said to have been laundered by his administration, the commission, yesterday, grilled the former Chief of Staff to Chime, Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo, for over ten hours in Abuja, asking her to say all she knew about the huge financial transactions in question.

She was shown series of petitions bordering on alleged graft committed under the Chime administration and challenged to prove the authenticity or otherwise of the allegations.

A source in EFCC confirmed that Nwobodo, who arrived the EFCC headquarters in Abuja at about  9.30am, was immediately confronted with series of petitions bordering on conspiracy and diversion of Enugu State funds by the former governor and his cronies and was asked to speak on what she knew about the issues.

As at the time of filing the story last night, Nwobodo was still being quizzed by a team of crack detectives to determine whether or not to file charges against her, the former governor and his aides named in the petitions.

A top EFCC official said: “Nwobodo’s    invitation is believed to be precursor to the interrogation of her former principal as the agency is said to be flooded with petitions indicting Chime of humongous graft during his eight-year rule of Enugu State as governor from 2007 to 2015″.

It was not also clear if she would be admitted to administrative bail and asked to return as the spokesman for the agency, Wilson Uwujaren, could not be reached for confirmation.

The EFCC has lately stepped up the investigation of key politically exposed persons but they have ingeniously used huge funds at their disposal to escape justice.