By Taiye Agbaje
THE INDEPENDENT Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Monday, re-arraigned Abubakar Sambo, the Director of Finance and Account of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) for alleged N1.84 billion fraud.
Sambo was re-arraigned before Justice Musa Liman of a Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja on three-count charge for allegedly diverting the funds to personal accounts.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
His lawyer, Y. D. Dangana, SAN, prayed the court to allow Sambo to continue to enjoy bail terms as earlier granted by a sister court and ICPC’s counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, did not oppose the application.
Justice Liman, therefore, admitted the defendant to the earlier bail conditions granted by Justice Bolaji Olajuwon.
The judge adjourned the matter until April 2 for commencement for trial.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Olajuwon of a FHC in Abuja had, on June 24, 2024, granted Sambo a bail in the sum of N200 million with two sureties in the like sum.
The judge held that the sureties must have landed property within the jurisdiction of the court with original certificates of occupancy (CofO) which must be deposited with the deputy chief registrar of the court.
She equally ordered the sureties to provide affidavits of their tax clearance in the last three years with a one passport photograph each.
Justice Olajuwon adjourned the matter until Oct. 17 for trial commencement.
However, the judge was transferred to another division of the court, making the case to start denovo (afresh).
NAN reports that the anti-corruption commission had, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/209/2024, sued Abubakar Abdullahi Sambo as sole defendant.
In the charge dated May 8, 2024, but filed May 10, 2024 by Akponimisingha, an Assistant Chief Legal Officer in the commission, the ICPC alleged that Sambo sometime in March 2023 or thereabout while being the Payment Finalizer on the Government integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) platform of REA did finalise the payment of the totai sum of N1.84 billion (N1,835,000,000.00).
It alleged that the funds were done in different tranches for the use of Henrrientta Onomen Okojie, Asuni Adejoke Aminat, Usman Kwakwa, Laure Shehu Abduilahi, Emmanuel Pada Titus and Musa Umar Karaye for a purported project supervision exercise without requisite approval, thereby contributing to the economic adversity of the REA.
The commission said the offence was contrary to and punishable under Section 68 of the Public Enterprise Regulatory Commission Act, CAP. P39, Laws of the Federation, 2004.
In count two, Sambo was accused to have used his access password to access the REA’s GIFMIS platform and finalised the payment of the sum of N1.84 billion in different tranches for the use of Okojie, Aminat, Kwakwa, Abdullahi, Titus and Karaye for a purported project supervision exercise without authority.
The offence was said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 6(4) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015.
In count three, Sambo was alleged to have conferred corrupt advantage on Okojie, Aminat, Kwakwa, Abdullahi, Titus and Karaye when he used his access password to access the REA’s GIFMIS platform and finalised the payment of N1.84 billion in different tranches for their use for a purported project supervision exercise without requisite approvals.
The ICPC said the offence contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
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NAN reports that Karaye, Titus and Okojie were also arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of a sister court on separate four-count charge preferred against them.
While Karaye and Titus were arraigned before Justice Nwite on June 13, 2024, Okojie was arraigned on June 14, 2024.
Usman Ahmed Kwakwa was also arraigned on June 13, 2024 on separate criminal charge before the judge and all of them were admitted to a N50 million each with two sureties each in the like sum.
In the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/203/24 filed against Okojie, she was alleged to have in count one, sometime in March 2023 or thereabout, with intent to defraud the REA, received the sum of N342 million in different tranches through her Access Bank Account: 0009022275 under the false pretence of project supervision.
The offence is said to be contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006. (NAN)
