EFCC quizzes Okupe again
Arraigns Contractor For N2.4bn ONSA Contract Scam
The travails of the former senior Special Assistant to PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, in the hands of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) does not seem over soon going by latest indications.
Sources familiar with the matter told The Guardian that he was quizzed again days ago over N50million which he allegedly collected in cash from the former National Security Adviser, without record or accountability.
He was grilled on June 22, 2016 over fresh allegations bordering on illicit payments received from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, as well as strange payments to his companies by a council in Bauchi State.Sources said he has been reporting to the Commission. He was described as “a regular visitor to the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission EFCC.”
“Okupe was also sighted in the premises of the anti-graft agency on Tuesday last week.We also got evidence that a company that is owned by him, Romic Soil Fix International Limited received N63million from Chanchaga Local Government council of Bauchi State and another N13.5m from the same council, for reasons that are not stated.
“Another company that is linked to Okupe, Abraham Telecoms Limited, allegedly received N35.5million from the NSA through the CBN,” The Guardian was told.
It was gathered that the payments from Chanchaga LG to Romic were made on November 21, 2014 during the PDP primary election and February 13, 2015, just before the general elections.
An EFCC source confirmed: “He has not been able to explain the receipts and has been asked to be reporting at intervals. The reason he is not detained is because he claimed to have a heart condition and presented a medical report to back the claim.”
In another development, the EFCC has arraigned a contractor for alleged complicity in an N2.4bn Office of the National Security
Adviser (ONSA) contract scam.The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday July 15,2016 arraigned one Olugbenga Obadina alongside his company, Almond Projects Limited, before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja on an eight-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering to the tune of N2.4billion.
Obadina was alleged to have collected the sum of N2, 417, 000,000 billion paid into his company’s account in tranches, between 2013 and 2015 from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, under Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) without contract award.
The EFCC said the offence was contrary to Section 15(2), (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Olugbenga Obadina and Almond Projects Limited on the 3rd of April, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court directly took possession or control of the sum of N648, 000, 000.00 (Six Hundred and Forty Eight Million Naira) only paid into the account of Almond Projects Ltd with Zenith Bank Plc Account No: 1010921116 from the account of the office of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award when you reasonably ought to have known that the said fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) the then National Security Adviser (To wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2), (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.”
Another count read: “That you, Olugbenga Obadina and Almond Projects Ltd on the 6th of February, 2015 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court directly took possession or control of the sum of N510, 000, 000.00 (Five Hundred and Ten Million Naira) only paid into the account of Almond Projects Ltd with Zenith Bank Plc Account No: 1010921116 from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award when you reasonably ought to have known that the said fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) the then National Security Adviser (To wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2), (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.”
The accused person pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him. Upon his plea, counsel to EFCC, Aso Larry Peters asked for a date for trial and urged the court to remand the accused in prison custody.
Chris Uche, SAN, who represented the accused, prayed the court to grant the defendant bail as he had a pending application to that effect, which had been served on the prosecution.
Responding, Peters said that the prosecution was served on July 13 and he had the right of 48 hours to respond. He also noted that a further affidavit deposed to by the defence which was referred to in their oral submission to the court was not served on prosecution.
The prosecuting counsel also told the court that the defendant had refused to cooperate with the Commission in the course of
investigation adding that his profile had not been taken.
“My Lord, he (Obadina) refused giving his fingerprint and biodata; he is a flight risk. He claimed he was advised by his lawyer”, Peters
added.“Justice Dimgba, thereafter adjourned to July 18, 2016 for ruling on the bail application and ordered the accused person to be remanded in Kuje prison,” Head of Media and Publicity at EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said.
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