Court Remands INEC Staff in Prison for N111.5m Scam
Justice P.I Ajaku of the Federal High Court sitting in Benin-City, Edo State on Thursday May 11, 2017 ordered that the duo of Uluocha Obi Brown, an Administrative Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Delta State and Percy Okojie, a reknown legal practitioner and former President, Rotary Club, Benin-City be remanded in prison custody, following their arraignment before her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on an 8-count amended charge, bordering on conspiracy and money laundering to the tune of N 111, 500, 000. 00k (One Hundred and Eleven Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira only). The defendants were docked for allegedly collecting the sum of N111, 500, 000.00k (One Hundred and Eleven Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira only), as a bribe during the weeks leading to the 2015 Presidential election. They are among the over 100 INEC Officials that allegedly collected part of the $115million (N23bn) disbursed by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison- Madueke, during the countdown to the 2015 presidential election.
Brown was arrested sometime in 2016, following an intelligence received by the EFCC on the activities of some INEC Staff, who allegedly connived with the West African Network of Election Observers (WANEO) a Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO), in defrauding the Federal Government huge sums of money, running into billions of Naira during the 2015 general elections.
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The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them.
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In her ruling, Justice Ajaku turned down the defendant’s application for bail, stressing that the prosecution has a right to respond. She also adjourned the matter to 17 June, 2017 for argument on bail applications , 30 June, 2017 for trial and ordered the defendants to be remanded in prison custody pending the determination of their bail conditions.
Read more: www.efccnigeria.org
#MoneyLaundering #Conspiracy #Crime #INEC #Diezani #EFCC #FightingCorruption
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