Tag: Orubebe

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) yesterday said it had arraigned former Niger Delta Affairs Minister Godsday Orubebe, before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, in Maitama District in Abuja, for alleged N1.97 billlion fraud.

The commission accused Orubebe of allegedly diverting the votes meant for the compensation of owners of properties on Eket Urban section of the East-West Road in Eket, Akwa Ibom State.

Orubebe, who had failed twice to appear in court, is facing a six-count charge before Justice Olukayode Adeniyi.

He is on trial with an Assistant Director at the Ministry of Niger-Delta Affairs, Mr. Oludare Davis Alaba, and the Director of Contracts, Gitto Costruzioni Generali Nig. Ltd., Mr. Ephraim Towede Zari.

A statement by ICPC spokesperson Mrs. Rasheedat Okoduwa quoted counsel to ICPC Mr. Ekoi Akpos, as saying that  the offences contravened sections 25 (i), (b); 19, 22(5); of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Sections 96, 312 and 323 of the Penal Code laws of FCT 2006.

Part of the charge reads:  “Diverting the sum of N1, 965,576,153.46 out of the sum of N2, 320,686,826.00 initially released by the Federal Government meant for the compensation of owners of properties on Eket Urban section of the East- West Road.

“Conferring unfair advantage upon Gitto Costruzioni Generali Nig. Ltd, by circumventing the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the dualization of the Eket Urban road  where the former Minister`s decision to rehabilitate the road instead of dualization  falls contrary to the award letter No.WR14522/VOL.1/55 dated 28/09/2006 as approved by the FEC; and making false statements to operatives of the ICPC where he mentioned in his  written statement that the decision to rehabilitate the Eket Urban road was taken after he had left office as Minister of Niger-Delta Affairs.’ The ex-Minister and the co-accused pleaded not guilty to the charge when read to them.

“Their counsel, F. Zimuan, representing Orubebe, K. Asunogie, representing Alaba and Kanu Agabi (SAN), representing Zari, who is a Lebanese, pleaded with the court to grant their clients bail on liberal terms. Zimuan specifically urged the court to grant Orubebe bail on self- recognition, having served as a minister.

Justice Adeniyi admitted the ex-Minister to bail in the sum of N10 million and a surety who must be resident in Abuja, with evidence of three years tax clearance.

He admitted Alaba to bail in the sum of N20 million and a surety who must be an employee of the Federal Government not below the rank of an assistant director.

The third accused Mr. Zari, was granted bail by the judge in the sum of N20 million and one surety who must be resident in Abuja, under the jurisdiction of the court.

Justice Adeniyi ruled at the end of the arraignment that all the accused persons be kept in ICPC custody pending the fulfillment of their bail applications and then adjourned the case to 10th November, 2016 for hearing.

Ex-Niger Delta Affairs Minister Godsday Orubebe’s absence has stalled his arraignment for alleged involvement in the diversion of about N2.3 billion.

Orubebe, Oludare Lawrence Alaba (assistant director), Ephraim Tewolde Zeri (director of Contracts in Gitto Costruzioni Generali Nigeria Limited and the company are named in the six-count charge filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices an other related offences Commission (ICPC).

They are accused of diverting the N2.3 million meant to compensate property owners to be affected by the Federal Government’s dualisation of Section IV of the East-West Road.

This is the second time their arraignment has been shifted.

They were scheduled to be arraigned before Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on August 18.

It was shifted to August 30 when prosecution lawyer Osuobeni Akponimisingha told the court that the ICPC was yet to effect service on all defendants.

Yesterday, he told the court that two of the defendants – Alaba and Zeri – were in court.

He noted that Orubebe was not in court after being served.

Orubebe’s lawyer F. Zimuan said his client was absent because he was indisposed.

“His (Orubebe’s) absence is not deliberate. He took ill. He had a domestic accident, which affected his ankle and wrist,” Zimuan said.

He said the development had cumulative effect on his hypertensive client, who had since been rushed to the hospital.

“I have a medical paper to that effect. I assure that he will come to face his trial once he is discharged from the hospital and we pray it will not be too long from today,” Zimuan said and sought a adjournment for 10 days.

Although the prosecution lawyer queried the authenticity of the medical report tendered by Orubebe’s lawyer, the Judge, adniyi agreed to an adjournment.

Other defence lawyers in the case, Kanu Agabi (SAN)N who represented Zeri and Gitto Costruzioni Generali Nigeria Limited and K. B. Asunogie agreed to an adjournment.

Justice Adeniyi, who noted that it was the second time the arraignment was being shifted, urged Orubebe’s lawyer to ensure that his client attend court on the next date and adjourned to September 7.

 

Former Minister for Niger Delta Affairs Elder Godsday Orubebe has denied diverting funds for the East West Road dualisation project.

The ex-minister spoke in Abuja yesterday in reaction to reports that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) brought charges against him in relation to the project.

The ICPC, in the five-count charge filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), accused Orubebe, Oludare Lawrence Alaba, Ephraim Towelde Zaki and Gitto Construction, of allegedly diverting about N2 billion meant for the dualisation of Section IV of the East-West Road.

Orubebe, who said he was yet to be served, said payment for the project were made by his predecessor, Ufot Ekaette, who incidentally is from Eket, where the project was to be executed.

The ex-minister said he was interrogated on the issue last year by the ICPC, and that when he clarified issues, officials of the commission told him he had no case to answer.

“Chief Ekaette was the minister for Niger Delta Affairs when the East-West Road dualisation project started.

‘’The road was initially meant to pass through the community somewhere around Eket, but Ekaette expressed his preference for the by-pass to pass behind the community to aid development and expansion of the community.

“The N1.9 billion, which they said Orubebe diverted, was paid under Ekaette as minister of Niger Delta. I did not make any payment. Ekaette paid the money to the construction company. I did not know when they paid the money.

“While some agreed with the suggestion by Ekaette that the raod should pass behind the community, others disagreed. I met the problem when I became minister of Niger Delta.

“I wrote the governor then, Governor Godswill Akpabio, and we held meetings with members of the community, who disagreed on whether or not the by-pass should pass behind the Eket community or inside it.

“I only read the story about the charge in the newspapers. They have not served me. I am still waiting to be served.

“I have done nothing to hide. The other time, they took me before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for the land that government gave to me. I submitted myself for trial. Trial has been concluded, we are only waiting for judgment, which has been postponed twice.

“When you have served your country diligently, people should not be concerned about how to destroy you.

“If I have committed an offence, I am ready to pay for it. The first case that started was in relation to the land that was given to every minister while I was in government.

“I was the only minister that went to sleep in the creeks, talking to militants, that brought about amnesty, and oil production rose from 700,000 barrels to 2.6 million barrels per day.

“I have made sacrifices. I served this country for six years and four months. I was taken to court for the land that government gave me, which I did not buy with my money. Trial has finished in that case, we are only waiting for judgment, and now, they have brought another one. They should leave me alone,” Orubebe said.

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has scheduled judgment for June 30 in the trial of former Niger Delta Minister, Godsday Orubebe.

The tribunal chose the date on Thursday after Orubebe concluded his defence having called two witnesses, including himself.

Orubebe was earlier in November 8, 2015 arraigned on a four-count charge of false asset declaration and bribery by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

The prosecution, on March 8 this year, announced an amendment to the charge, reducing the counts to one. He pleaded not guilty to the amended charge of false asset declaration on March 8 when he was re-arraigned.

While testifying as the second defence witness yesterday, Orubebe explained that he failed to declare the plot of land in 2011 because he had sold it to his landlord before he made the last asset declaration while leaving office.

Led in evidence by his lawyer, Selekowei Larry (SAN), Orubebe, who said he sold the barren plot of land at N10million, explained that he also did not declare it when he assumed office in 2007 because it was not allocated to him then.

He said the land was allocated to him by the Federal Government, as a Minister, through the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister. He said never visited the plot if land because it was in an undeveloped part of Abuja, and that he sold to pay his rents, at N5m per annum, for two years (2009-2010 & 2010-2011).

He expressed regret that he was subjected to trial over an “empty plot of land in a bush,” which he said, was allocated to him by the government in which he served.

When asked by Larry when he did not declare the plot of land when he assumed office in 2007, Orubebe said: “As at 26 September 2007 when I first declared my assets, I never had a property named plot 2057 Asokoro District, Abuja. So, I could not have declared it as I was coming in as a minister.

“On 29 of June 2011, when I was temporarily dis-engaged from the Federal Executive Council, because the FEC was dissolved, before I was reappointed, I never also had a property known as Plot 2057 Asokoro District, Abuja. So, I could not have declared a property that was not mine.

“As at when I was dis-engaging, I could not declared the land, because it was no longer mine. But I declared other property, including land that were given to me by the government that I served,” he said.

Explaining how he sold the land, Orubebe said: “On 29 June 2011, Plot 2057, ordinary empty land in a bush, that was given to me by the Federal Government that I served, via an offer letter from the Minister of the FCT. I decided to give it out to my landlord, Barrister Akinwumi Ajibola, the Managing Direction of Givention Properties Limited, to settle for my two years house rent.

“In this country, so many people do not know that the annual salary of a serving minister per month, all inclusive, accommodation, transportation, everything inclusive, in 2007 was N1.3m. In 2008 it went down to N990,000 and few kobo.

“So, the annual salary, from then till now, cannot pay a befitting rent for him in befitting places like Maitama, Mabushi, Asokoro, Wuse2. So, when I got the offer letter for the empty land, all ministers were given such lands, I saw this as an opportunity to settle my house rent.

“When they said the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) was ready, I authorised my Senior Assistant (SA) then, Engr Rodney Bawey to collect the CoO and I contacted my landlord, to meet Engr Rodney to collect the C of O for the settlement of my two years house rent.

“They collected C ofO together and later he prepared the sale documents, and I signed the documents, parting with my ownership o the land given to me by the government.

“My lord, I never saw the land, and also did not see the C of O. I parted with it the same day it was given to me. I did not see the C of O. My SA, Engr Rodney came to me and told me he had handed it over to my landlord, Barrister Ajibola. I parted with the land at N10m paid for with my two years rent of N5m per year,” Orubebe said.

He identified the documents, marked as Exhibits D1 to D5, which were earlier tendered through the first defence witness, as the documents signed for Akinwumi, transferring ownership of the plot of land to Givention Properties Ltd.

He said he was never invited in any form by the CCB to clarify why he did not include the plot of land in his asset declaration form.

Under cross-examination by prosecution lawyer, Muhammad Diri, said his take-home Sa a Minister, from 2008 till 2011 was less than N1m per month.

Dirir, who computed the amount said it will amount to N11.880m per annum, and about N47.520m in the four years Orubebe served.

But Orubebe said the official earning of a minister was insufficient for his needs, particularly as a politician.

Ajibola confirmed knowing Orubebe, who was his tenant from  2007 to 2011 in his (Ajibola’s) property at Drive 2 House 3 Ministers Quarters, Mabushi, Abuja.

When asked the amount his company paid, Ajibola said: “My company bought the plot of land at N10m. The land is not inside Asokoro per se. It was on the Road to Karshi, on your way to Sani Abacha Barracks.”

On how the payment was made, Ajibola said: “There were issues on the regular payment of the defendant’s rent. We agreed that the rent for the year 2010 was N5m and 2011 which was also N5m would be the consideration for the property we are buying into. In effect, the rent for two years amounted to N10m, with which we converted to acquiring the land.”

On why he did not register the Deed and C of O with the relevant government agencies, Ajibola said: “In Abuja, you cannot get the consent of the Minister of FCT until you have started developing the plot. But the, the plot was still in a bush. No development had taken place.”

On why he had not done the necessary registrations to reflect the new ownership, Ajibola said: “When we were about to develop between 2011 and 2012, we noticed an encroachment. When we noticed that, we put a hold to the registration of the Deed of Assignment. And till date, the matter is still on-going.

In his final submission, Orubebe’s lawyer appealed to the tribunal to discharge and acquit his client because he has sufficiently led evidence to support his claim that he had sold the land before he made his last asset declaration, and so, could not have included what he had sold as his asset.