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| Abdullahi |
The Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, July 6, 2015 arraigned Ali Gambo Abdullahi, a staff of Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT,
Abuja, before Justice C. N Orji of the FCT High Court sitting in Apo on a
2-count charge bordering on conspiracy, bribery and abuse of office.
Abdullahi’s arrest and
subsequent arraignment followed a petition from one Rasheed O. Taiwo, who
claimed that he paid a bribe of N1.8million to Mr. Danladi Umar, chairman, Code
of Conduct Tribunal, Abuja through the accused.
Taiwo alleged that, Umar
who claimed to be presiding over a case in which he was involved, demanded a N10m (ten million naira) bribe as
“settlement”, to give him a clean bill of health.
The petitioner further
alleged that, after several negotiations, he paid N1.8m (one million, eight
hundred thousand naira) as initial deposit, into the account of Ali Gambo
Abdulllahi, in one of the new generation banks.
Count one reads:
“That you, Ali Gambo
Abdullahi, sometime in August, 2013 at Abuja, within the judicial division of
this Honourable Court did make a statement to one ABULMAJID IBRAHIM (A
detective with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) while in the course
of the exercise of the duty of his office that the sum of One Million, Eight
Hundred Thousand Naira (1, 800,000.00) paid into your Zenith account number
1002849471 on 12th December, 2012 by one Rasheed Owolabi was a
payment made to assist you settle your father’s medical bill which statement
you knew to be untrue and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 39
(2) (A) of the Economic and Financial Crimes act, 2004 and punishable under Section
39 (2) (B) of the same Act”.
The accused pleaded not
guilty to the charge when it was read to him.
Following
his plea, counsel to EFCC, Andrew Akoja, asked the court for a trial date to
present his witnesses.
However,
the defence counsel, A. F Attah, urged the court to admit his client to bail
saying, the accused person is a senior officer in the civil service adding
that, as a responsible officer, he would not do anything to frustrate his
trial.
Justice
Orji admitted the accused person to bail in the sum of N5m (five million naira)
and two sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a GL 16 officer in
the civil service and the other must have landed property in Abuja .
The case
has been adjourned to October 21 and 22, 2015 for commencement of trial.
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