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A
Federal High
Court in
Abuja
on Tuesday March 24, 2010, ordered that
the Bayelsa
state Accountant general, Mr
Francis Okokuro, the director of
treasury, Abbot Clinton and the
Director of
Finance, Mr Ikobho Anthony
Howells be remanded in Kuje prison till
April 13 when their trial id expected to
commence.
The thre Officials were
arraigned before Justice D.V Okorowo of
FHC on a six-count charge of
money
laundering and diversion of
public funds
totaling over N2.4 billion.
The accused persons
pleaded not guilty when charges were
read to them. Thereafter, their lawyer,
Barrister Osanyande made an oral
application for bail. The prosecution
counsel, Festus Keyamo however opposed
the move. He urges the court to fix a
date for trial while expressing his
preparedness for trial.
The trial Judge aligned
with the position of the prosecution and
fixed April 13 for the commencement of
trial while he ordered that the accused
persons be remanded in Kuje prison.
The officials were
arrested in Bayelse EFCC operatives last
Tuesday and detained on a court order.
The six count charges
read:
“That you,
Francis Okokuro, Abbot T.
Clinton, Ikobho Anthony Howells and Dr.
Charles Sylva Osuala (now at large)
sometime between October, 2009 and
February, 2010, at various places in
Nigeria,
including Abuja, within the jurisdiction
of the Federal
High Court did conspire to commit
a crime to wit: conversion of properties
and resources amounting to
N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion Naira)
belonging to Bayelsa State Government
and derived from an illegal act, with
the aim of concealing the illicit origin
of the said amount and you thereby
committed an offence contrary to
Section 17(a) of the
Money
Laundering (Prohibition Act),
2004 and punishable under Section
14(1) of the same Act.
“That you, Francis Okokuro, Abbot T.
Clinton, Ikobho Anthony Howells and Dr.
Charles Sylva Osuala (now at large) 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 Eighty 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 an 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.
“That you, Francis Okokuro, Abbot T.
Clinton, Ikobho Anthony Howells and Dr.
Charles Sylva Osuala (now at large) on
or about the 5th of
February, 2010, at Abuja, within the
jurisdiction of the Federal High Court,
converted the sum of N50,000,000.00
(Fifty Million Naira), property of
the Bayelsa State Government, through
the account of one Enson Benmer
Limited with Account No.
6152030001946,
in First Bank, Plc, which sum you
knew represented the proceeds of an
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.
“That you, Francis Okokuro, Abbot T.
Clinton, Ikobho Anthony Howells and Dr.
Charles Sylva Osuala (now at large) on
or about the 5th of
February, 2010, at Abuja, within the
jurisdiction of the Federal High Court,
converted the sum of N20,000,000.00
(Twenty Million Naira), property of
the Bayelsa State Government, through
the account of one John Daukoru
with Account No.
04800250000418, in United
Bank for Africa, Plc, which sum you
knew represented the proceeds of an
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.
“That you, Francis Okokuro, Abbot T.
Clinton, Ikobho Anthony Howells and Dr.
Charles Sylva Osuala (now at large)
sometime between October, 2009 and
February, 2010, at various places in
Nigeria, including Abuja, within the
jurisdiction of the Federal High Court
did conspire to commit a crime to wit:
inducing Union Bank, Plc, with the
intent to defraud, to deliver to Bayelsa
State Government the sum of
N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion Naira),
under the false pretence of using the
amount to augment salaries of the
Bayelsa State Government and thereby
committed an offence contrary to
Section 8(a) and punishable under
section 1(3) of the
Advance Fee
Fraud and other Fraud Related
Offences Act, 2004.
“That you, Francis Okokuro, Abbot T.
Clinton, Ikobho Anthony Howells and Dr.
Charles Sylva Osuala (now at large)
sometime between October, 2009 and
February, 2010, at various places in
Nigeria, including Abuja, within the
jurisdiction of the Federal High Court
induced Union Bank, Plc, with the intent
to defraud, to grant an
overdraft
facility of the sum of
N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion Naira)
to the Bayelsa State Government under
the false pretence of using the amount
to augment salaries of the Bayelsa State
Government and thereby committed an
offence contrary to Section 1(1)(b)
of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud
Related Offences Act, 2004 and
punishable under section 1(3) of
the same Act.”
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