Shuaibu Teidi: EFCC Seeks Final Forfeiture of Brifina Hotel as Case is Adjourned Sine die

The trial of former Director, Pension Accounts, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Sani Shuaibu Teidi and one Omoefe Eric Uduesegbe has been put on hold as Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, today, 21 February, 2014 adjourned the case sine die just as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission filed an application for final forfeiture of Brifina Hotel, one of the properties linked to Teidi.

The adjournment followed an application by Teidi seeking the transfer of his case.

Dr. Teidi is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a 22-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, conspiracy to commit fraud and concealing the origin of stolen pension fund of N18.3 billion.

At the resumed hearing on Friday, the accused person through his counsel, Sunday I. Ameh, SAN told the court that he had approached the Chief Judge, seeking for the matter to be transferred to another court on the grounds that the trial judge was biased.

One of the charge against the accused reads: “that you, Dr Sani Teidi Shuaibu, former Director, Pension Accounts, office of the head of Civil Service of the Federal of Nigeria, Udusegbe Eric Omoefe, Gozinda Enterprises, Bashinta Nigeria Limited, Haleath Enterprises, Uthatak Nigeria Limited, Krasiva Nigeria Limited and Ribaile Petroleum Limited at various times between 2009 and 2010 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired together to obtain by false pretence and with intent to defraud from the Pension Accounts, Office of the     Head of Service of the Federation of Nigeria various sums in the aggregate amount of N1,951,592,000.00 (one Billion, Nine Hundred and Fifty One Million ,Five Hundred and Ninety Two Thousand Naira), and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8(a) of the Advance Free Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and Punishable Under Section 1(3) of the same Act, 2006.
In a related development, Chief Godwin Obla, SAN, counsel to EFCC,  told the court that he has filed an application for the final forfeiture of the accused property.

 Obla is seeking the final forfeiture of Brifina Hotel, which is one of properties allegedly acquired by Teidi’s with proceeds of fraud. Brifina Hotel is valued at over a billion naira but the accused denies ownership of the property against the claim by the original owner that he sold the property to Teidi. The EFCC had earlier secured an interim forfeiture order on the property from Justice Adamu Bello.

 Investigation by the Commission revealed that the said hotel was purchased by the accused through his personal company, Badawulu Ventures for the sum of three hundred and thirty nine Million Naira (N339, 000,000).

The case has been adjourned to February 27, 2014.