The
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday re-arraigned a former
governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Timipre Sylva, before a Federal High
Court in Abuja for fraud involving about N2.45bn.
The accused allegedly committed the offence between October 2009 and February 2010 as governor of Bayelsa State.
He pleaded not guilty to all the six counts when he was re-arraigned before Justice Evoh Chukwu on Monday.
The former
governor also has similar charges pending against him before Justice
Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Sylva had
earlier pleaded not guilty to the Monday’s six counts when he was first
arraigned for the offences before Justice Adamu Bello (retd) on June 5,
2012.
The matter
had to start de novo (afresh) following the retirement of Justice
Bello, a development which prompted Sylva’s re-arraignment before
Justice Chukwu on Monday.
The
prosecuting counsel, Mr. Festus Keyamo, who signed the charges, accused
Sylva of offences, including conversion of various sums of money
belonging to the state with the aim of concealing their illicit origins.
He was
also accused of inducing Union Bank Plc to fraudulently grant him a
N2bn overdraft facility under the pretext of using the money to augment
workers’ salary.
He allegedly committed the offences in conspiracy with other unnamed persons said to be at large.
In the
first count, the EFCC alleged that between October 2009 and February
2010, the former governor conspired with other unnamed persons to
convert “property and resources amounting to N2bn belonging to Bayelsa
State Government derived from an illegal act, with the aim of concealing
the illicit origin of the said amount.”
In the
second count, the EFCC alleged that on January 22, 2010, Sylva converted
the sum of N380m, property of Bayelsa State Government, “through the
account of one Habibu Sani Maigidia, a Bureau De Change Operator with
Account No. 221433478108, in Fin Bank Plc, which sum you knew
represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing
the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act.”
Count 3
accused the former governor of converting N50m belonging to his state
“through the account of one Enson Benmer Limited with Account No.
6152030001946, in First Bank Plc, which sum you knew represented the
proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the
proceeds of the said illegal act.”
Count 4
alleges that the accused, on January 5, 2010, converted the sum of N20m
belonging to Bayelsa State, “through the account of one John Daukoru
with Account No. 04800250000418, in United Bank of Africa Plc, which sum
you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of
concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act.”
EFCC said
the offence in Count 1 is contrary to provisions of Section 17(a) of
the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act), 2004 and the offences in Counts 2
to 4 are said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 14(1) of
the same Act.
In counts 5
and 6, the former governor was accused of conspiring with others to
induce Union Bank Plc and actually inducing the bank “with the intent to
defraud, to grant an overdraft facility of the sum of N2bn under the
false pretence of using the amount to augment salaries of the Bayelsa
State Government workers.”
The
conspiracy offence in count 5 is said to be contrary to provisions of
section 8(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences
Act 2004 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act.
After the
arraignment on Monday, Justice Chukwu granted bail to Sylva in the
conditions and terms previously granted by the former trial judge.
The oral
bail application by Sylva’s lawyer, Israel Olorundare (SAN), was not
opposed by the prosecuting counsel from Keyamo’s law firm, Mr. John
Ainetor.
Ainetor
had only urged the court to grant the bail if it was willing to do so in
terms that would secure the availability of the accused person in
court.
The court fixed May 25 for commencement of trial.
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