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Tag: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)

  • Court rules on Belgore’s bid to quash bribery charge July 7

    Court rules on Belgore’s bid to quash bribery charge July 7

    A Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday fixed July 7 for ruling on an application by a Senior Advocate, Dele Belgore, seeking to quash a criminal charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Justice Mohammed Aikawa adjourned for ruling after hearing arguments from both the defence and the prosecution counsel.

    Belgore is charged along with a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman over allegations of receiving N450 million from a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

    Alison-Madueke is also named in the charge but is described as “being at large”.

    The Commission had also accused them of handling the said sum in cash without going through any financial institution.

    The offence, according to the anti-graft body,  contravened the provisions of sections 1(a), 15(2)(d) and 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.

    The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Moving the application on Thursday, the defence counsel, Mr Ebun Shofunde (SAN), insisted that the failure of the EFCC to attach an affidavit to indicate that investigations had been concluded remained  a fundamental breach of the court rules.

    He argued that the failure rendered the charge most incompetent and urged the court to quash the charge and set Belgore free.

    Opposing the application, the Prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, argued that the current law governing criminal cases in Nigeria is the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

    Oyedepo maintained that the ACJA never listed the filing of the affidavit in question as a condition which must be accomplished before a criminal charge could be initiated in court.

    He argued that the provisions of the ACJA are superior to the Federal High Court Practice Direction.

    Oyedepo drew the court’s attention to the provision of Section 221 of the ACJA which restrains any judge in Nigeria from looking at any application which challenges the competence of charges in a criminal matter in the middle of trial.

    He also referred to the provision of Section 396 (2) of the Act,which restrains a judge from delivering any ruling on any application of that nature until judgment is handed down on the matter.

    Oyedepo urged the court to throw out the application, saying granting same would amount to “slaughtering” justice on the altar of technicality.
    Justice Aikawa will rule on the arguments on July 7.

  • Nigeria to host 8th Commonwealth Africa anti-corruption conference

    Nigeria to host 8th Commonwealth Africa anti-corruption conference

    Nigeria has been picked to host the 8th regional conference of anti-corruption agencies in Commonwealth Africa in 2018, according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    EFCC spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said on Thursday that the decision was taken at the 7th edition of the conference held in Malawi on June 2.

    In addition, the EFCC Acting Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, has been appointed vice chairman of the executive committee of the association.

    These are some of the outcomes of five days of intense deliberation by the anti-graft chiefs, Uwujaren said.

    According to him, the conference featured a review of the progress of anti-corruption campaigns in African member states of the commonwealth.

    In a communiqué, the participants emphasised the need for “a platform for sharing emerging practices and country innovation in the fight against corruption to enhance good governance.”

    They also urged the agencies to create a platform for intelligence and data sharing for effective asset recovery.

    The agencies were also encouraged to continue with benchmarking visits to maintain learning and sharing of ideas and experience.

    The conference further stressed the need for members to expand the network with other sectors, including the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption, civil society, media and the private sector to enhance the anti-corruption war.

    Other issues that engaged the attention of participants included the need for the agencies to deepen innovation for prevention education and investigation in the fight against corruption.

    They were urged to consider implementing “Whistle blower legislation for effective protection of whistleblowers”.

    Furthermore, the conference called on member countries to continue to support the anti-corruption agencies with adequate funding and capacity development for effective performance.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there are 19 African countries in the Commonwealth, which is an intergovernmental organisation of 52 member states that are mostly former colonies of Britain.

     

  • How Police, Army, SSS, INEC, others shared in $115m ‘Diezani bribe’ – Witness

    How Police, Army, SSS, INEC, others shared in $115m ‘Diezani bribe’ – Witness

    The Federal High Court in Lagos Thursday heard how several individuals and public officials shared in an alleged bribe of $115m paid by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, to compromise the 2015 general election.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) named the officials Thursday during the trial of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Dele Belgore before Justice Rilwan Aikawa.

    In two documents it tendered before the court, the anti-graft agency said the persons benefited from N450 million and N155, 220,000 out of the $115m (about N36 billion) Diezani cash.

    The disbursements, which the EFCC claimed were bribes, were contained in a document titled, “Security and Transportation per State”, and another one titled, “Kwara State”.

    According to the first document, the Resident Assistant Inspector-General of Police (IGP) in Kwara State at the time got N1 million cash, the Commissioner of Police (COP) in Kwara State at the time received N10m cash, while the Deputy COP in charge of Operations got N2 million cash.

    Also, the Assistant Commissioners of Police in charge of operations and administration in Kwara State, received N1 million cash each.

    The document also showed that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kwara State for the 2015 general elections got N10 million cash, while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Administrative Secretary in Kwara State at the time received N5 million cash.

    According to the document, INEC’s Head of Department, Operations and “his boys” were given N5m, while “other officers” received and shared N2m among themselves.

    Also listed as beneficiaries of the alleged bribe in Kwara State were the “OC Mopol” and “his men”, who got N7 million, “2iC Mopol” and men in the state, who got N10m; the Director of the State Security Service (SSS) and his men, who got N2.5m.

    The military in Kwara State was bribed with N50m, according to the document, while other security agencies including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) got N20m..

    An EFCC investigator Usman Zakari, who brought the document, told the court that it was recovered from Belgore.

    Belgore is accused of collecting N450m from Diezani and distributing same to beneficiaries in Kwara State.

    The EFCC said he handled the cash without going through any financial institution, contrary to sections 1(a), 16(d), 15(2)(d) and18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.

    According to the commission, the offence is punishable under sections 15(3)(4), and 16(2)(b) of the same Act.

    Standing trial along with Belgore for the offence is a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman.

    The SAN and the don were arraigned on charges of money laundering on February 8, 2017 but they pleaded not guilty.

    Zakari is the second witness to be called by the EFCC in its efforts to prove its case.

    Testifying before Justice Aikawa on Thursday, the witness explained that Belgore volunteered the list to the EFCC when he was invited and interrogated by the anti-graft agency.

    The investigator pointed out Belgore’s endorsement on the document, stating: “document supplied by me, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN).”

    The second document the EFCC said it recovered from Belgore, also showed showed beneficiaries of a sum of N155, 220,000 and the breakdown of what they got.

    Among them were 15 electoral officers who each received, 250,000; 15 supervisors, who got N100, 000 each; state Returning Officers who got N1m, among others.

    The two documents were tendered by the EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, and admitted in evidence as Exhibit 7 and 7A, against Belgore and Suleiman, as their lawyers, Mr. Ebun Shofunde (SAN) and Mr. Olatunji Ayanlaja (SAN), raised no objection.

    In his evidence, Zakari told the court that the EFCC’s findings showed that the money was disbursed in cash to the beneficiaries.

    “My Lord, the mode of payment, as contained in Exhibit 7, is cash payment. The payments were not done through any financial institution,” Zakari said.

    Meanwhile, Justice Aikawa entertained Belgore’s application seeking the dismissal of the charges on the grounds that the EFCC failed to attach an affidavit showing that it had concluded investigation in the case before bringing the case to court.

    Moving the application on Thursday, Belgore’s lawyer, Shofunde, argued that the failure of the EFCC to attach an affidavit saying it had concluded investigation before filing the charges was a fundamental breach of the Federal High Court Practice Direction and which had rendered the charges incompetent.

    He urged Justice Aikawa to quash the charges and free his client.

    But in opposition, the EFCC lawyer, Oyedepo, argued that the current law governing criminal cases in the country was the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

    He argued that the ACJA did not list filling of the said affidavit as one of the conditions that must be fulfilled before a criminal charge could be filed in court, stressing that the provisions of the ACJA were superior to that of the Federal High Court Practice Direction.

    Besides, he referred Justice Aikawa to Section 221 of the ACJA which barred a judge from entertaining any application challenging the competence of charges in a criminal case in the middle of trial and Section 396(2) of the Act, which barred a judge from ruling on any such application until judgment is delivered in the case.

    While urging the judge to dismiss the application, Oyedepo said granting it would “amount to slaughtering justice on the altar of technicality.”

    Justice Aikawa adjourned till July 7 for ruling.

     

  • Alleged fraud: Court rejects Fani-Kayode’s bid to suspend trial

    Alleged fraud: Court rejects Fani-Kayode’s bid to suspend trial

    …Senator Usman granted leave for foreign medical travel

     

    The Federal High Court in Lagos Wednesday denied a motion by a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, to suspend his trial for alleged fraud pending the determination of his request for the case to be transferred to Abuja.

    Justice Rilwan Aikawa, however, granted an application by former Minister of State for Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman, for the release of her international passport so she can travel abroad for a medical appointment.

    Usman, the judge said, was permitted to travel for three weeks between July and August to the United States but must surrender her passport to the court not later than August 31, 2017.

    The court also allowed the prosecution to call its first witness, Olusegun Idowu, who testified against the defendants.

    Usman, Fani-Kayode, one Danjuma Yusuf and a firm, Joint Trust Dimensions Limited were brought last June 28, before Justice Muslim Hassan by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    They were arraigned on a seven-count charge of conspiracy, unlawful retention of proceeds of theft and laundering of N4.9billion.

    Fani-Kayode, who was the Director of Publicity of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential campaign organisation for the 2015 election, was accused of conspiring with the others to directly and indirectly retain various sums, which the EFCC claimed they ought to have reasonably known were proceeds of crime.

    The four were also accused of indirectly retaining N300m, N400m and N800m, all proceeds of corruption, according to the EFCC.

    The agency said they allegedly committed the offence between January 8 and March 25, 2015 ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    But Fani-Kayode objected to being tried before Justice Hassan and the defendants were re-arraigned before Justice Aikawa on May 15, on a similar charge.

    They pleaded not guilty and the judge adjourned till Wednesday for a hearing of Usman’s application for the release of her travel documents and commencement of trial.

    However, upon commencement of proceedings Wednesday, Fani-Kayode’s counsel Norrison Quakers SAN informed the court that it was yet to rule on a pending application for the case to be moved to the Abuja division of the court.

    Although Justice Aikawa said the application was not in the court’s file, Quakers insisted that the application was filed on the day of the defendants’ re-arraignment and had been received and acknowledged by the EFCC.

    The application, Quakers said, was jurisdictional in scope and should be determined before trial could commence.

    Quakers said: “Practice direction is clear on this matter. This is what the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, in his wisdom, has formulated. The rule is recognized by Section 490(d) of the Administration of Criminal Justice LAW (2015). Rules of court are meant to be obeyed.

    “There is a practice direction that guides the Federal High Court in situations like this. The direction says the court will not commence trial until the defendant’s application is taken, one way or another. It is trite that jurisdiction is the life of any adjudication. The second defendant (Fani-Kayode) has not said he does not want to be tried, he is saying he does not want to be tried in Lagos.

    “Your Lordship is bound by Rules of Court, the ACJL and judicial pronouncements on the issue to determine it one way or another.”

    He argued among others that the CJ’s power to make the practice rules flowed from Section 490 of the ACJL pursuant to Section 254 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

    But Oyedepo, relying on Section 396 of the ACJL, argued, among others, that Quakers’ position was not correct in law.

    He said: “I submit that it would amount to turning the law upside down to say that the substantive issue, which is the allegation as contained in the charge, cannot be taken without determining the application. Section 396 of the ACJL is higher in hierarchy and takes precedence over the practice direction.

    “This application is challenging the competence of this charge in Lagos. What the defendant did was just to lift the same application decided before Justice Hassan and re-filed it here. This application, apart from being a gross abuse of court processes, cannot constitute a stay.”

    Ruling, Justice Aikawa upheld the prosecution’s argument.

    He said: “I have listened to the erudite argument of counsel. In my opinion, practice directions, although having the force of subsidiary legislation, are meant to guide the court in criminal trials. Departure from it in some circumstances will not render proceedings fatal if done in the interest of justice and speedy conclusion of trial.”

    The court then allowed the prosecution to begin its examine its witness, Idowu.

    The witness, who identified himself as a media consultant, said he got two contracts of N24million and N6million from Fani-Kayode through an intermediary, one Olubode Oke.

    However, at the prosecution’s request, the court adjourned trial till Friday to enable the witness bring originals of invoices and receipts of the alleged transactions.

     

     

  • Nyako: Judge orders EFCC to deposit N12.5m judgment debt in court

    Nyako: Judge orders EFCC to deposit N12.5m judgment debt in court

    …Faults EFCC’s approach to investigation

     

    Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court in Abuja Tuesday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to pay into an account to be opened by the Chief Registrar of the court, the N12.5million judgement given in favour of Senator Abdulaziz Nyako.

    Justice Kolawole had, in a judgment on June 22, 2016 awarded the N12.5m against the EFCC. The judgment was on a fundamental rights enforcement application filed by Abdulaziz on February 17, 2015.

    In the judgment, the judge held among others, that Abdulaziz’s arrest and detention by the EFCC, and its freezing of his account for over two years, amounted a gross abuse of his fundamental rights as a serving senator and a responsible citizen.

    The judge said it was wrong for the EFCC to arrest and detain Abdulaziz for three days and freez all his bank accounts for over two years without a court order, or charging the senator to court.

    Rather than obey the judgment, the EFCC claimed to have appealed and applied to the trial court for stay of execution of the judgment pending the determination of the appeal.

    The EFCC complained that it will not be able to undertake its statutory functions if it pays the N12.5m judgment sum.

    Ruling on the application yesterday, Justice Kolawole struck out the EFCC application and ordered it to, within 30 days, deposit the N12.5m in an account to be opened by the court’s Chief Registrar.

    The judge said that there was no circumstantial situation to warrant the stay of the judgment since no cogent reason was placed before the court by the EFCC to enable the court exercise its discretion in the agency’s favour

    Justice Kolawole said should the EFCC fail to deposit the bank draft within 30 days, Abdulaziz shall have the right to apply for garnishee order nisi.

    The judge agreed with Senator Nyako that the motion filed by EFCC was a ploy to deny him the fruit of his success arising from the court case against the EFCC and that there was no special circumstance to warrant the grant of stay.

    The court agreed with Abdulaziz that more than a year after the judgement, the EFC was yet to compile records for transmission to the Court of Appeal and that the period allowed by law had expired.

    Earlier in the ruling, Justice Kolawole faulted the conduct of the EFCC and its investigation procedure.

    He said the EFCC, being an organisation established by law, should learn how to conduct its statutory functions within the ambits of the law

    He frowned at the habit of the security agencies in rushing to magistrate courts to obtain detention warrants in the matters where magistrate courts have no jurisdiction adding that such habit amounts to nothing but corruption on its own.

    “In this instant case, EFCC cannot be said to be a diligent party having just filed notice of appeal in a judgment delivered over a year ago and did not raise any grounds of special circumstances to granting of the stay of the execution of the judgment.

    “The EFCC should wake up and realise that the law that established it is not a cosmetic law, but designed to protect the Nigerian citizens from acts of recklessness in the name of performing statutory functions,” the judgment.

    He said it is a political slogan that security agencies cannot be subjected to court order when it goes out of its way to infringe on the fundamental rights of the citizens. He said the practice of arresting and detaining suspects before investigation is bizarre and must not be condoned by any law court.

    The judge also said dumping suspects on remand through Magistrate Court’s orders in matters where Magistrate Courts have no jurisdiction was not only tragic, but unfortunate. He asked that security agencies realise that the nation was a democracy and desist from such unlawful conduct.

     

  • EFCC secures 340 convictions in six months

    EFCC secures 340 convictions in six months

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday  said it had secured 340 convictions and recovered billions of dollars  in  stolen funds within  the last six months.

    EFCC Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, represented by the commission’s  Secretary, Mr Emmanuel Adegboyega, said this in Abuja at the launch of   law enforcement and public engagement project   in Nigeria.

    The CLEEN Foundation in collaboration with the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Office of the U.S.Embassy in Nigeria initiated  the project.

    Adegboyega,  who dismissed  the claim  that the EFCC  recorded only few convictions,  said  the commission  recorded more convictions than any  anti-graft agency  in the country.

    The secretary also said that the success  recorded by the commission was  hinged on the  outcomes from the courts, adding that  the responsibility of the commission was to investigate and charge suspects to court.

    “We do not have the control over the courts, we cannot tele-guide the courts; what happened  in the courts  is beyond the control of EFCC,” he said.

    While noting that the rate of corruption was on the rise,  he said the commission was committed to the task of tackling the menace.

    Adegboyega, who  said that the EFCC had a robust platform in conjunction with Interpol to track down corrupt persons, gave an assurance  that there would be no  safe haven for unscrupulous persons.

    He, however,  called for synergy among anti-graft agencies,  stressing that only this would guarantee success in the anti-corruption campaign.

    The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Operations, Joshak Habilla,  said that  law enforcement agencies  must  be accountable to the public.

    Habilla also urged the security agencies to  engage in activities that would eradicate   corruption in the country.

    He urged members of the  public  to hold police officers liable whenever they err.

    The representative of the  U.S. Embassy,  Aruna Amirthanayagam,  said that the goal of the project was to strengthen relations between criminal justice actors, anti-graft agencies  and citizens through effective communication.

    “This pilot project will focus on supporting the EFCC and the Nigeria Police Force to provide timely and relevant information to the public on their efforts to fight crime and corruption.

    “Over the past year, the U.S. Embassy has been working closely with civil society, Nigeria Police and the EFCC on various initiatives to enhance government transparency, improve security  and investigate and prosecute complex financial crimes.

    “This project supports those efforts by enhancing communication with the public and building trust with law enforcement organisations,” he said.

    The Executive Director of  CLEEN Foundation, Benson Olugbuo,  stressed the need to enhance public confidence in the criminal justice actors such as the police and EFCC.

    He advocated for a system that operates zero tolerance for corruption  while  promoting  open communication in  Nigeria’s law enforcement institutions.

    Olugbuo said this would help  reduce the potentials to partake in acts of  corruption and Nigeria’s socio-economic development would  be significantly improved.

  • Court grants Ajumogobia, Obla leave to travel abroad for medical treatment

    Court grants Ajumogobia, Obla leave to travel abroad for medical treatment

    A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has granted leave to a Federal High Court judge, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia and Chief Godwin Obla travel abroad for medical treatment.
    Both Justice Ajumogobia and Chief Obla are  facing corruption charges of giving and receiving bribe brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Hakeem Oshodi.
    While Ajumogobia is travelling to New York, Obla is heading for  Houston, Texas.
    Ajumogobia had through her counsel, Olawale Akoni (SAN) sought the leave of the court to travel for urgent medical attention in Morris Height Center, Bronx New York.
    In a 17 paragraph affidavit in support of her request, Akoni said  Ajumogobia is  suffering from high blood pressure, palpitations, and stress related issues.
    However EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo,  opposed the application.
    Oyedepo contended  that if Ajumogobia is granted leave to travel, she might jump bail and not come back to face her trial.
    He argued that Ajumogobia’s request to travel for thirty days was a ploy to stall the trial.
    Ruling on the application, Justice Oshodi said that the court has judicial discretion to rule on the application.
    “The prosecution failed to give evidence why the applicant cannot seek medical attention for her sickness outside Nigeria and how the prosecution came to decision that defendant would jump bail is best known to him.
    “I believe that the first defendant as a Federal High Court Judge has a lot to lose if she considers the idea of jumping bail”, he held.
    Justice Oshodi ordered the Chief Registrar  to release the international passport of  Ajumogobia to enable her travel abroad between June 7 and June 13, 2017.
    ” The defendant must return the passport to the Chief Registrar on or before July 1, 2017″, Justice Oshodi ruled.
    The judge also granted the second defendant, Godwin Obla (SAN) leave to also travel to Houston, Texas in the US for medical treatment.
    “The 2nd defendant is also granted leave to travel for medical treatment and must also return his passport to the Chief Registrar on July 4,” the Judge ruled.
    After the ruling, the EFCC called its tenth witness,a legal practitioner, Charles Musa who told the court Ajumogobia who was his classmate and friend, called him to help draw up a deed of agreement.
    “I sent her a mail about the terms of agreement and she did not get back to me again,” he said.
    Oyedepo however tendered deed of agreement between Ajumogobia’s company, Nigel and Colive and another company, County and City Bricks, purportedly drawn by the witness.
    Musa however denied signing or drafting the deed of agreement between the two companies.
    Justice Oshodi thereafter adjourned the matter till July 7 for continuation of trial.
    Ajumogobia who is standing trial along side senior lawyer Godwin Obla is accused by the EFCC of receiving a total of $793, 800 in several tranches from different sources between 2012 and 2015.
    The judge was further accused of giving false information to EFCC operatives by claiming to be on admission in Lagos which was found out to be false, an offence contrary to section 39 (2)a of the EFCC Establishment Act.

  • Police search Ekweremadu’s Abuja guest house

    Police search Ekweremadu’s Abuja guest house

    The police on Friday conducted a search on the official guest house of the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu. The guest house is located in the highbrow Maitama District, Abuja.

    Ekweremadu’s Special Adviser, Mr. Uche Anichukwu who confirmed the search on the guest house, said police did not inform the senator or any of his aides before the search was conducted.

    Anichukwu further said that only the senator’s steward was present when the police team arrived at the property, adding that nothing incriminating was found in the premises.

    According to him, the policemen were said to have told the steward that they were detailed by the Force Headquarters to carry out the search.

    When our correspondent called the Force spokesman, Jimoh Moshood for comments, his mobile telephone indicated that his line was switched off.

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the Senate had, a few weeks ago, raised the alarm, saying that security report at its disposal indicated that the security agencies were planning to invade Ekweremadu’s residence either in Abuja or Enugu.

    According to the spokesman of the caucus, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe who addressed journalists on the matter, the raid was to be carried out by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Abaribe said the plot was to plant incriminating items; either a huge amount in foreign currencies or guns in Ekweremadu’s targeted residence and then arrest him for money laundry or gun running.

    The caucus stated that the motive behind the alleged plot was to put the Deputy President of the Senate out of circulation by arresting and detaining him on trumped up charges.

  • Senate withdraws controversial anti-EFCC motion

    Senate withdraws controversial anti-EFCC motion

    The Senate Tuesday in a dramatic U-turn withdrew a controversial motion targeted at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The motion entitled, “Undue dramatization of the fight against corruption in Nigeria” was sponsored by Senator Chukwuka Utazi (Enugu North)

    The motion specifically lampooned the EFCC for alleged “penchant for undue publicity of its body of evidence at the commencement of investigation.”

    Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, had called Utazi to present his motion.

    Senator Utazi is Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes.

    All eyes turned to Senator Utazi’s seat only to discover that he had already left the chamber before Lawan called him to lead debate of his motion.

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the day’s plenary, informed his colleagues that the motion had been withdrawn.

    Though no further explanation was offered on why the motion was withdrawn by its sponsor, sources said that the leadership of the Senate might have felt uncomfortable with the controversial motion.

    One of the sources said that the Senate might have thought it unwise to start a fresh showdown with the anti-graft commission.

    Utazi noted in the withdrawn motion published in the Order Paper “EFCC’s approach tends to compromise the strength of the evidence that could be presented to secure conviction in judicial proceedings.

    “I am disturbed about the string of losses of corruption and financial crimes-related cases in court in recent past.

    “These losses, due mainly to insufficient and sometimes, shoddy investigation and the presentation of inadequate unconvincing body of evidence has cast a dark cloud on the efforts of the current government to reduce corruption in Nigeria to the barest minimum.

    “The recourse of, especially the EFCC in blaming the judiciary whenever it loses its case in court is a failure to acknowledge the commission’s shortcomings in the build-up to each case.

    “The EFCC’s emphasis on media trial before the conclusion of investigation weakens its case and gives the country a bad image in the comity of nations, discouraging the much-needed foreign investments.

    “Nigeria is not the only country that fights corruption and related crimes with the requisite zeal, but we do not hear of putrid stories of sleazy discoveries put out by countries’ anti-corruption agencies to every medium of communication to portray the country in bad light.

    “The sudden discoveries of abandoned loot, at airports, in septic and water tanks, in high-brow apartments and the dramatization of the process of the discovery of these orphaned monies paint the anti-corruption war in unpalatable colours, giving the world an impression of a group seeking applause through propaganda and engaging in a circus show to a rather grave national effort.”

    The Enugu North lawmaker prayed the Senate to urge the EFCC to de-emphasis propaganda and undue publicity in its operations and concentrate on the competent discharge of its core mandate.

     

  • Court adjourns ex- Navy chief’s fraud trial till June 14

    Court adjourns ex- Navy chief’s fraud trial till June 14

    An FCT High Court on Monday adjourned the N600 million fraud trial involving a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin, till June 14.

    Justice Sadiq Umar adjourned the case after the cross-examination  of fourth prosecution witness, Mr. Abdulkadir Wakili.

    Jibrin was arraigned on May 25, 2016 on a four-count charge of criminal conspiracy and purchase of a property valued at N600 million without budgetary provision.

    He was charged alongside retired Rear Admiral Bala Mshelia, retired Rear Admiral Shehu Ahmadu, and Harbour Bay International Limited.

    RELATED: Ex-Naval chief diverted N677m tranches – EFCC

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had alleged that the property was purchased from the account of Naval Engineering Services Limited.

    At the resumed hearing on Monday, Wakili from Nigerian Navy Budget Office, Abuja, testified and presented the Navy budget from 2013 to 2014.

    Maikya objected to the admissibility of the document, as it was the same document presented already in the Navy Budget and that it was not admissible in law.

    The prosecuting counsel, Mr Abdullah Faruk, argued that the tendering of the document was in line with Section 106 (b) of the Evidence Act.

    He said that the document was approved by the National Assembly.

    Earlier, Mr Peter Ogwu, Managing Director, Peterus Nigeria Limited, the company that sold the property to Harbour Bay International Limited, testified in the matter.

    Ogwu, led in evidence by Faruk, said that the property was sold in March 2014 by his company to Harbour Bay.

    Ogwu said that all the legal documents to the property were presented to the Diamond Bank branch office manager were the money was paid in.