The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission has filed fresh 22 charges against an ex-Niger Delta militant
leader, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, and 12
others.
The charges, which were filed on Friday
at a Federal High Court in Lagos, bordered on stealing, advanced fee
fraud and money laundering to the tune of N22,765,900,000.
The fresh charges were filed eight days
after Justice Ibrahim Buba ordered the arrest of Tompolo for his failure
to appear on January 14, 2016 to take his plea on a separate 40 counts
of alleged N34bn fraud earlier filed against him and nine others by the
EFCC.
In the fresh charges, which had yet to
be assigned to any judge, the EFCC listed 25 witnesses that will testify
against Tompolo and his 12 co-suspects when the trial begins.
Among the witnesses are seven EFCC
investigators, officials of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and
Safety Agency, officials of the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of
Lands, Housing and Urban Development, and officials of the Bureau of
Public Procurement.
Also to testify against the suspects are
officials of four commercial banks including Access Bank, First Bank,
Zenith Bank Plc and United Bank for Africa Plc.
Those to be arraigned alongside Tompolo
in the fresh 22 counts is a former Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick
Akpobolokemi, whose four brothers – Victor, Nobert, Emmanuel and Clement
– who are still at large, were alleged to have aided the suspects to
commit the fraud.
The other suspects are Kime Engozu, Josephine Otuaga, Rita Uruakpa and Pondi Kestin.
Also joined as defendants in the charges
are seven companies – Mieka Dive Training Institute Ltd/GTE, Oyeinteke
Global Network Ltd, Wabod Global Resources Ltd, Boloboere Properties
Estate Ltd, Gokaid Marine Oil and Gas Ltd, Muhaabix Global Services Ltd
and Watershed Associated Resources.
The suspects were said to have
fraudulently converted various sums, running into over N22.7bn, stolen
from NIMASA, to their personal use between December 12, 2014 and April
10, 2015.
They were also accused of defrauding the
Federal Government by making false representations, which they knew to
be untrue, in order to obtain money from the government.
The offences are said to be contrary to
Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences
Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3)of the same Act.
The charge sheet, signed by Festus
Keyamo, also indicated that the suspects violated various sections of
the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 including its
sections 15(3) and 18(a) and were liable to punishment under Section
15(3) of the same Act.
The suspects were also said to be liable
to punishment under Section 1 (2) (c) of the Miscellaneous Offences
Act, Cap. M17, Laws of the Federation, 2004.
In count two, the EFCC alleged that the
suspects “between the December 2, 2014 and April 10, 2015 in Lagos,
within the jurisdiction of this court, with intent to defraud, induced
the Federal Government of Nigeria to deliver to you, the aggregate sum
of N11, 900,000,000.00 by falsely pretending to the Federal Government
of Nigeria that all that land and its appurtenances lying, being and
situate at the Mieka Dive Training Institute, Kurutie, Warri South-West
Local Government Area of Delta State, to be acquired by NIMASA for the
temporary Campus of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Warri
South-West Local Government Area, is free from any encumbrances, which
representation you knew to be false, and you thereby committed an
offence contrary to Section (1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other
Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3)of
the same Act.”
Akpobolokemi is scheduled to appear on
Friday before Justice Saliu Saidu of a Federal High Court in Lagos,
where he was first arraigned on December 3, 2015 alongside nine others
on 30 counts of stealing and money laundering to the tune of N3.4bn.
His trial before Justice Buba, where he
was arraigned along with five others on December 4, 2015 on 22 counts of
alleged N2.6bn fraud, commenced last week with the EFCC calling three
witnesses.
The case was adjourned till February 2, 2016.
Akpobolokemi is also scheduled to appear
before Justice Buba on February 8, 2016 alongside nine others,
including Tompolo, who was ordered to be arrested and produced in court
on the hearing date.
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