John Yusuf
There
were indications on Tuesday that public outcry against the light
sentence handed an Assistant Director in the Police Pension Office, Mr.
John Yakubu Yusuf, by a Federal Capital Territory High Court, forced
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to rearrest him.
The high court presided over by Justice
Mohammed Talba had on Monday sentenced Yusuf to only two years’
imprisonment with an option of N750,000 fine for conniving with others
to defraud the PPO and pensioners of N27.2bn.
Even before the judge rose, many in the
courtroom expressed amazement at the judgment. While many Nigerians
took to social networks like the Facebook and Twitter mocking the
judgment, prominent lawyers and civil rights activists condemned it as a
setback to the Federal Government’s anti-corruption crusade.
On Tuesday, one of the civil rights
groups, Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, demanded the
probe of Talba for the light sentence.
Also, the Nigeria Labour Congress said
the judgment was an indication that the judiciary could not be relied on
to deliver the country from monumental corruption.
A source close to the EFCC told one of
our correspondents that the commission, apparently embarrassed by the
public outcry , moved swiftly to redeeem its image by sniffing more into
Yusuf’s records in order to nail him.
The source said, “We never expected what
happened yesterday(Monday). The reactions that followed the judgment
were embarrassing to us and that was why we quickly had to look into
his files again and sniffed out things that we had overlooked. With
those things, we had to rearrest him for fresh prosecution.”
EFCC spokesperson, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, had told The PUNCH
in Abuja that Yusuf was rearrested because he had a pending case. “He
will face fresh charges. When you are arrested and you are being
investigated, logically you will be rearraigned to face fresh charges, ”
he added.
He later issued a statement in which
he said Yusuf would be arraigned today (Wednesday) before Jutice
Adamu Bello of a Federal High Court in Abuja on four counts.
Uwujaren said, “He will be arraigned
over non-declaration of his assets and liability in his asset
declaration form and his failure to declare his interest in a company
known as SY-A Global Services Limited.
“The pension fraud convict is alleged to have used the company, SY-A Global Services Limited, to lodge N250m with Zenith Bank.
“Yusuf’s re-arraignment is coming on
the heels of a questionable ruling by Justice Mohammed Talba of the
Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday, January 29, in which he was handed a
two- year jail term with an option of N250,000 fine on each of the
three counts against him.
“Yusuf is one of the six persons
standing trial in the N32.8bn Police Pension scam. The six accused
persons in the police pension scam were first arraigned on March 29,
2012, on 16 criminal charges bordering on conspiracy and criminal
breach of trust.
“The other accused person are Esai
Dangabar, Atiku Kigo, Ahmed Wada, Mrs. Veronica Onyegbula and Sani Zira.
Kigo was the director of the PPO before he was made a permanent
secretary.”
Count one and two of the charges to be preferred against Yusuf reads:
“That you, John Yusuf on or about
February 14, 2012 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division knowingly
failed to make full disclosure of your assets and liability in the
Declaration of Asset Form filled by you, by not declaring your interest
in a company known as SY-A Global Services Limited , a Nigerian company
incorporated by you, and solely owned by yourself and members of your
immediate family and you thereby committed an offence punishable under
Section 27(3) of the EFCC (Establishment, etc.) Act CAP E1 2004.
“That you, John Yusuf, on or about
February 14 , 2012 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division knowingly
failed to make full disclosure of your assets and liability in the
Declaration of Asset Form filled by you, by not declaring your interest
in the N250m you have in a fixed deposit account with Zenith Bank in
the name of SY-A Global Services Limited, a company in which you are
the sole signatory to its account and you thereby committed an offence
punishable under Section 27(3) of EFCC (Establishment ,etc.) Act CAP E1
2004.
Furthermore, count three explained
that the convict also, knowingly, failed to make full disclosure of the
sum of N10m he lodged in a fixed deposit account with the First Bank of
Nigeria Plc in the name of the same company.
Count four accused him of failing to
make full disclosure of N29m which was fixed on his instruction by one
Danjuma Mele in the account of Jidag Technical Services Ltd with
Diamond Bank.
A list of witnesses attached to the
charge sheet showed Mustapha Gandaya, Mele, officials of Zenith Bank
and officials of Diamond Bank as witnesses to be called against the
accused person in the course of his fresh trial.
Exhibits to be presented in court for
the trial, according to the charge sheet, include statement of the
accused person, statements of witnesses, and other relevant documents
and exhibits.
The charge sheet in the new suit was
numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/14/2013 and dated January 29, 2013. It was signed
by Chile Okoroma, the Acting Director, Legal and Prosecution
Department, EFCC, on behalf of the Chairman of the commission and the
Attorney- General of the Federation.
EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), and
many others in the FCT High Court where Yusuf was convicted on
Monday, had openly expressed their amazement with the lightsentence
handed him.
Also, the EFCC had, in a statement
shortly after the court rose , condemned the sentence, saying it would
study it and “respond appropriately.”
The statement read in part, “The EFCC
has expressed reservations about the ruling of an FCT High Court, Abuja
which handed a six year jail term with the option of N750, 000 fine to
Yusufu, one of the six persons standing trial in the N32.8bn Police
Pension scam.
“The commission is of the view that the
option of fine runs contrary to the understanding between the
prosecution and the defence wherein the convict consented to a custodial
sentence with the forfeiture of all assets and money that are proceeds
of the crime.”
Meanwhile, a civil society group has
asked the Judiciary to probe Justice Talba because his judgment on
Monday was an open invitation to would-be corrupt government officials
to help themselves with public funds.
Executive Director of the Civil Society
Legislative and Advocacy Centre, Mallam Awual Musa , who made this
known, advised the Judiciary to begin to redeem its image
PUNCH
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