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N1.3 b fraud:Court bars ex-NFF
officials from overseas trip
Newsdiaryonline Sat Feb 26,2011
A
Federal High Court in Abuja , on Friday, February 25th ,
2011, turned down an application filed by a former
executive member of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr
Bolaji-Ojo Oba, seeking a temporary release of his traveling
documents. Ojo is being tried by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, alongside
three others on a seven count charge bordering on corruptly
using their offices to confer unfair advantage on themselves,
defrauding the Federal government
to the tune of over N1.3 billion naira {One billion, three
hundred thousand Naira) and $2 million {two million dollars}
among others.
Besides, the accused persons were also alleged to have booked
the Hampshire Hotel, South Africa, being a cheap, substandard,
unbefitting and an unlisted hotel among the approved list of
hotels by the Federation of International football Association,
FIFA, for lodging by
participating teams and caused the Federal Government to pay a
fine to the tune of $125,000 for a breach of contract. The
other three accused persons are Sani Lulu Abdulahi; Amanze
Uchegbulam and Taiwo Ogunjobi,
all former officials of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF.
Ojo-Oba’s application could not be filed as the presiding judge
preempted his move saying that the application would only waste
the time of the court. The EFCC counsel, Olasupo Ashaolu, SAN,
went ahead to present a 17 paragraph affidavit opposing an
earlier motion seeking to quash all the charges preferred
against them and also challenging the jurisdiction of the court
to entertain the suit. The travelling documents of all the
accused persons were ordered seized on September 7, 2010, by
the court as part of the bail condition when they were
arraigned. Other bail condition was the provision of a
N100million bond by each of the accused with two sureties each .
The presiding judge, Justice Okorowa, while turning down the
application for the release of Ojo-Oba’s travelling documents,
warned the accused to desist from bringing frivolous
applications aimed at delaying the trial. He had at the last
proceedings, also warned the other three accused persons to
desist from applying delay tactics. The first accused person,
Sani Lulu, through his counsel, S.I Ameh, had brought a motion
praying the court for extension of time to file his written
address on the motion earlier brought which challenged the
jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.
The
EFCC counsel, Ashaolu, SAN, had also opposed the motion, as he
described it as a ploy to delay trial and as such a violation of
the orders of the court. He added that the accused persons were
at the last hearing given ten days to file their written
addresses with effect from January 20th, 2011. He therefore
wondered why the accused persons would return with an
application seeking for an extension of time. Justice Okorowa,
after declining the prayers of Ojo-Oba, adjourned the case till
May 9, 2011. Lulu, Uchegbulam, Ojo-Oba, and Ogunjobi were
arrested by EFCC on June 7, 2010 but granted administrative
bail. They were, however, rearrested by the commission’s
operatives on Monday September 6, 2010. They are being tried on
a 7 count charge.
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