A staff of the Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC, Christian Nwosu
has pleaded guilty to receiving N30million as bribe from the N23billion alleged
Diezani bribe meant to compromise electoral officers before the 2015 general election. Nwosu was among three
INEC officials that were today docked by
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before Justice M. B.
Idris of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos on a 7-count
charge bordering on receiving gratification to the tune of N264,880,000.00 (Two
Hundred and Sixty-four Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira).
Nwosu and the other accused persons-Yisa
Olanrewaju Adedoyin and Tijani Bashir had, on March 27, 2015,
allegedly received bribes from a former Minister of Petroleum Resources,
Diezani Allison-Madueke, ahead of the 2015 general election.
Count one of the charges reads:
"That you, Mrs. Diezani Allison - Madueke (still at
large), Christian Nwosu, Yisa Olanrewaju Adedoyin and Tijani
Bashir on or about the 27th day of March, 2015 in Nigeria within
the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired among yourselves to
directly take possession of N264,880,000(Two Hundred and Sixty-four
Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira) which sum you
reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to
wit: gratification and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section
18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2002
and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act."
Another count reads: "That
you, Christian Nwosu on or about the 27 day of March, 2015 in
Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court directly used the sum
of N30,000,000 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of
the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: gratification and you hereby committed
an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(a) of the money laundering (Prohibition)
(Amendment) Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same
Act."
Both the second and third defendants,
Adedoyin and Bashir, pleaded not guilty to the charges..
However, the first
defendant, Nwosu, pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against him.
Counsel to the first defendant,
Adaku Ngbangba, pleaded with the court to grant her client bail on
self-recognizance, adding that “he is a first-time offender. He has put in over
20 years in service. Given his honestly, I urge you, my Lord, to grant him bail
on liberal terms.’’
Counsels to the second defendant, Ngbangba,
as well as counsel to the third defendant, Nelson Imoh, also pleaded with
the court to grant their clients bail on self-recognizance.
In his address, the prosecution
counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that the first defendant had
entered a plea bargain agreement with the Commission.
He said: “We received the sum of $115
million kept in the custody of Fidelity Bank Plc, which was subsequently
converted to N23bn.
“Of this amount of
money, it was alleged that the first defendant received a cash
payment of N30, 000,000. 00 as Director
and Administrative Secretary, INEC, Kwara State.
“The first defendant went to
Fidelity Bank and signed for N264, 880,000. This was left in the bank in the
custody of the third defendant who carried it in a Hilux bus and was
making cash payment/withdrawals without going through any financial
institutions.
"In the course of making
the cash payments, the third defendant paid the first defendant the total
sum of N30, 000,000.00 cash."
Oyedepo further told the court
that the first defendant was invited to the Commission’s
office, where he made his statement under words of caution.
He stated that the receipt of
payment of the money signed for by the first defendant was also retrieved by
the Commission.
Both the statement and the
receipt were tendered and admitted as exhibits A-A6 by the court.
Oyedepo also told the court that
the first defendant had admitted essentially to the ingredients of the alleged
offence in his statement to the Commission on December 12, 2016.
The first defendant in his
statement, according to Oyedepo, admitted to have benefitted N30, 000,000.
00.
Oyedepo, in his
address, also stated that “the first defendant also gave account of the
properties he used the money to acquire.
“He brought the title documents
to the EFCC office.
“Having demonstrated remorse and
given useful information to aid the prosecution of the case, he has
entered into an agreement to forfeit the properties to the Federal Government.
The properties are listed in the paragraphs 1 and 2 of the plea
bargain agreement.
“The EFCC has recovered the
N5m left from the first defendant, having spent N25m to acquire
properties."
He also urged the court to
convict the first defendant in line with the count seven of the charges and
adopt the term contained in the plea bargain agreement.
Consequently, Justice Idris
found the first defendant liable as charged on count seven.
He, however, deferred
the sentencing of the first defendant to May 7, 2017.
The first defendant was ordered to be
remanded in the EFCC custody till the next adjourned date.
Justice Idris admitted both t the
second and third defendants to bail in the sum of N50 million, with two
sureties in like sum.
The sureties must have landed
properties within the jurisdiction of the court.
The second and third accused persons
must submit their international passport to the court.
They were ordered to be remanded in
prison custody till the perfection of their bail conditions.
The case was adjourned to May 7, 2017 for continuation
of trial.
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