Seven former police pension officials have been re-arraigned before Justice Hussain Baba of an Abuja High Court on an amended 20 counts charge of criminal breach of trust and conspiracy involving the sum of N29.8 billion.
They had earlier been arraigned before Justice Mohammed Talba who sentenced one of the accused persons, Mr John Yusufu, to a two year jail term with an option of N750,000 fine which he promptly paid.
The fraud was perpetrated between January 2009 and June 2011.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had alleged that the accused persons conspired and sequentially withdrew money from the Police Pension Fund (PPF) in an account domiciled at First Bank of Nigeria and shared it amongst themselves.
One of the defendants; Inuwa Wada, was also alleged to have collected N18 million from Unity Bank Plc, as his reward for retaining the Police Pension Account with the bank.
One of the accused persons, Mrs Uzoma Attang was however absent from the court while her former colleagues who were present were re-arraigned.
Mrs. Attang who is a serving director of finance and accounts in the Federal Civil Service, had previously escaped trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal last September where she was scheduled to be tried on allegations of acquisition of landed properties both in Abuja and Lagos whose value her salary, as a director in the Federal Civil Service, could not have legitimately acquired.
Others docked alongside Mrs Attange are Esai Dangabar, Atiku Kigo, Ahmed Inuwa-Wada, Mrs Veronica Onyegbula, Sani Zira and Christian Madubuike.
Count one of the amended charge alleged that the accused persons conspired and agreed, between January 2008 and June 2011, to do an illegal act of criminal breach of trust in respect of the sum of N20.155 billion, an offence punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Act, CAP 532, laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria 2007.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the entire counts of the charge and the court subsequently fixed their trial for 3rd and 4th of June, 2012.
Justice Hussain Baba also ordered that the bail granted the accused persons by the former judge should continue to run so far as they had complied with the bail conditions.
One of the arraigned official went violent as she left the court premises and attacked a photo journalist who tried to take her photograph.
Follow GistaNigeria on Twitter @GistaNigeria and Facebook GistaNigeria
TK's Blog | Free Forex Signals | Infotech Arena Tech News |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Add A Comment