The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed that the commission conducted a six-month investigation into the founder of Streams of Joy International, Pastor Jerry Eze, over suspected money laundering before clearing him of any wrongdoing.
Olukoyede made this known on Wednesday while speaking at the Jerry Eze Foundation Business Grant Award Ceremony in Abuja.
He explained that the investigation was initiated following intelligence reports and petitions after the commission noticed significant inflows of foreign currencies into the cleric’s domiciliary account.
“We work by intelligence, we work by petitions. At some point, I saw there was an account, a domiciliary account. Dollars, pounds were dropping in like raindrops, from Colombia, from America, from Sri Lanka, even from Togo,” Olukoyede said.
“I said who is this man? Yes, I’ve been hearing about his name, I’ve seen his face a couple of times. I never bothered about what he was doing. I knew he was a pastor.”
The EFCC chairman noted that he later invited Eze for questioning after investigators concluded their preliminary findings, but after meeting with the cleric and reviewing the outcome of the probe, the commission found no evidence of wrongdoing.
“So he came to my office. He told me what happens and all of that, and how the money came, what he does, how he has been helping people, and all of that,” Olukoyede said.
“I said, you know what, I didn’t call you here to explain to me. We have already done our work. I called you here to commend you.”
