N12bn pension fraud: Trial of ex-director, 31 others suffers setback

Posted by admin Headlines Monday, April 11th, 2011

A Federal High Court in Abuja, Monday, ordered an immediate arrest of two aides to the former Director of the Pensions Department, office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr Sani Teidi Shuaibu, following alleged roles they played in the illegal diversion of N12 billion from the coffers of the government through fictitious claims.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in the charge filed before the court accused Aliyu Bello, Abdullahi Omeiza, and four other accomplices, for allegedly swindling the Federal Government through over 130 bogus contracts purportedly awarded to 25 companies.

According to a 134-count criminal charge preferred against them before the trial High Court, the alleged scam was perpetrated between 2008 and 2010.

The anti-graft commission maintained that their actions ran contrary to Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006”.

Though their trial was originally billed to commence yesterday, it could not go on, owing to the refusal of the two aforementioned aides of the former director to appear in court for their arraignment.

When the matter was called up, counsel to the commission, Mr Godwin Obla, told the court that both Bello and Omeiva, who he said were hitherto granted administrative bail by the EFCC, blatantly ignored invitations to appear for trial Monday.

Obla insisted that the duo were duly served with copies of the charge-sheet on March 23 and April 4, respectively, even as he pleaded the trial court to invoke the provisions of section 351 of the Criminal Procedure Act, CPA, and issue a bench warrant against them.

“Pursuant to section 351 of the CPA, I urge your lordship to issue a bench warrant that will compel their attendance to this court, considering that this trial cannot proceed in their absence. We shall be asking for a very short adjournment to enable the state to bring the 3rd and 7th accused persons to face trial with all the other accused persons,” he pleaded.

Consequent upon the application, the trial judge, Justice Adamu Bello, went ahead and issued a bench warrant against the absentee accused persons, adding that they should be apprehended and produced in court on May 9 when the matter was yesterday adjourned.

Others fingered in the N12bn scam were former Deputy Director in the Pension Office, Mrs. Phina Ukamaka Chidi, Garba Abdullahi Tahir, Mohammed Katun Ahmed, Emmanuel Olanipekun and the 25 companies that were allegedly floated by the accused persons to siphon the funds.

Some of the companies listed in the charge sheet filed in court by EFCC were Zumba Resources, Lopee Ventures, Gozinda Enterprises, Bashinta Nigeria Ltd, Obista Enterprises, Shallo Well Ventures, Redwing Energy Limited, among others.

-Vanguardwp_posts