THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned the Personal Assistant to the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Ali Gambo Abdullahi, before Justice Chizoba Orji of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja.

In the charge, Abdullahi, was said to have given officials of the EFCC false information about the N1.8m he collected from a former official of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Rasheed Owolabi, who is standing trial before the tribunal over asset declaration.

Owolabi had accused the Chairman of the tribunal, Danladi Umar, of demanding N10million‎ from him to influence his case before the tribunal.

Owolabi had also admitted that he paid N1.8million to the tribunal Chairman through the Zenith Bank account no.‎ 1002849471 of Abdullahi.

Abdullahi in his statement to the EFCC, however, said the N1.8m‎illion was paid into his account by Owolabi to assist him settle his father’s medical bills.

According to the charge number CR/137/15, the accused was said to have been inconsistent in his statement to the commission.
The two count charge read: “That you, Ali Gambo Abdullahi, sometimes in August 2013 at Abuja did made a statement to one Abdulmajeed Ibrahim, a detective with the EFCC while in the course of the exercise of the duty of his office that the sum of N1.8 million paid into your Zenith Bank Account Number 1002849471 on December 12, 2012 by one Rasheed Owolabi was to assist you to settle your father’s hospital bill, a statement you knew to be untrue and thereby committed an office contrary to section 39(2)(a) of the EFCC Act. 2004 and punishable under section (39) (2) (b) of the same act.

“That you Abdullahi, sometimes in August 2013 at Abuja did made a statement dated 13th August 2013 pertaining to N1.8 million paid into your bank account by one Rasheed Taiwo, which is inconsistent with the statement you made on August 12th, 2013 to one Abdulmajeed Ibrahim, a detective with EFCC while in the course of the exercise of the duty of his office and thereby committed an offence‎ contrary to section (39) (2) (b) of the EFCC Act 2004.”