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Ex-governor Sylva faces fresh corruption charges

By Editorial board
26 June 2015   |   3:37 am
The case involving a former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a fresh 50-count charge bordering on stealing and money laundering, came up for mention yesterday before Justice A. F. Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja. Sylva is charged alongside Francis Okokuro, Gbenga…

SYLVAThe case involving a former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a fresh 50-count charge bordering on stealing and money laundering, came up for mention yesterday before Justice A. F. Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Sylva is charged alongside Francis Okokuro, Gbenga Balogun, and Samuel Ogbuku. They allegedly used three companies–Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction and Logistics Limited to move over N19.2 billion from Bayelsa State coffers between 2009 and 2012.

According to a statement signed by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, the Federal High Court presided over by Justice A. R. Mohammed had on June 10, 2015 dismissed the 42-count charge of stealing earlier brought against Sylva and his co-accused by the EFCC, with the excuse that the prosecution’s application to consolidate the charges before him, against the defendants, amounted to an abuse of court process.

EFCC however, faulted the ruling on the ground that it was premature, as the accused persons had not even taken any plea before the court, and subsequently filed the fresh 50-count charge at the Federal High Court.

At the resumed hearing before Justice Adeniyi, Sylva, Okokuro and Ogbuku were present in court. The accused persons were to take their pleas, but this could not happen, as there was a pending application before the court.

Ajayi Olowo, counsel to Balogun had filed a preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court, to hear the case.

Counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, also told the court that investigators who visited Port Harcourt, Rivers State, discovered that the addresses of Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction and Logistics Limited were non-existent.
Justice Adeniyi thereafter, adjourned till July 9, 2015 for continuation of hearing and ruling on the application brought before it.

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