A former minister implicated in a N3.14bn fraud has sneaked out of the country as the EFCC closes in on her and some other suspects, The Nation reports.

The former minister reportedly left the country on Sunday, and her destination is unknown at the moment.

“The EFCC has been on the case for some time and one or two of the suspects at a point came to make statements. But one of the former ministers who was also connected with the matter has jetted out," an EFCC official said.

“The ex-minister left the country quietly on Sunday. No one can say her actual destination and whether or not it was a routine trip abroad or a self-imposed exile.

“The reality is that there is no hiding place for any former public officer. Wherever a suspect is, the EFCC will repatriate such a person.”

Six chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Goodluck Support Group (GSG) have been named in the investigations.

The cash, meant for the funding of the campaign of former President Goodluck Jonathan was drawn on the orders of the Presidential Villa and paid into a coded account tagged Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Library.

Some of the key suspects, including some bureaucrats, have offered to return the funds.