Fresh
facts have emerged about how four officials of the Bayelsa state
government who are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, over a N2 billion scam, shared the money which was
meant for augmentation of the state’s workers salary.
A
Federal High Court sitting in Abuja was on Tuesday November 30, 2010
told that the officials: Bayelsa state Commissioner for Finance, Dr.
Charles Sylva Osuala, and three others: Francis Okokuro, Abbot T.
Clinton and Ikobho Anthony Howells, actually shared the money among
themselves.
The accused were recently arraigned on a six count charge of criminal conspiracy and money laundering among others by the EFCC.
At
the resumed hearing of the case, prosecution witness, Adeniyi
Adebayo, tendered the statements he obtained from the accused persons
during investigation before Justice Donatus Okorowa. He said that
the accused admitted sharing the money among themselves under various
guises. Though counsel to the accused persons, raised an objection
to the admissibility of the statements as an evidence, a development
which prolonged proceedings of the court, the accused persons were
however made to withdraw their objections.
Adebayo
told the court that the accused persons between October 2009 and
February 2010, at various places in Nigeria induced the Union Bank
Plc, with the intent to defraud, to grant an overdraft facility of the
sum of N2 billion to the Bayelsa state Government under the false
pretence of using the amount to augment salaries of the state workers.
He also told the court that letters were written to UBA and
Intercontinental Bank investigating the fraud and prayed the court to
give him time to tender the correspondence with the banks at the next
adjourned date. While adjourning the case to December 14th and 15th for continuation of hearing, the judge urged all parties to the case to ensure expeditious determination of the case.
Count
one of the six count charge reads: “That you, Francis Okokuro, Abot
T. Clinton, Ikobho Anthony Howells and Dr. Charles Sylva Osuala on or
about the 22nd of January, 2010, at Abuja, within the
jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N380,
000,000.00 (three Hundred and Eight Million Naira), property of the
Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one Habibu Sani
Maigidia, a Bureau De Change Operator with Account No. 221433478108,
in Fin Bank, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of the
said illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds
of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary
to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and
also punishable under Section 14(1) of the same Act
