THE much-awaited trial of the suspected subsidy thieves will begin today in Lagos.
In all, 140 suspects will be made to
face trial, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said on
Tuesday. The anti-graft commission said that it would be putting the
suspects on trial based on the investigation conducted by its own
operatives.
Out of the lot, 13 will be arraigned by
the anti-graft agency before three judges of Lagos High Court between
Wednesday (today) and Thursday (tomorrow).
A statement by the spokesperson for the
EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, in Abuja on Tuesday said, “The suspects are
among the over 140 individuals and organisations involved in the
on-going investigations into the subsidy payments by the EFCC. More
suspects will be arraigned periodically as the investigation progresses.
“This investigation is massive and
extensive; and the Commission wishes to reassure Nigerians that every
effort will be made to bring all those who defrauded the country in the
guise of subsidy for imported fuel to book.”
Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo will on
Wednesday hear the case against Mahmud Tukur, Ochonogor Alex, Abdulai
Alao and Eterna Oil and Gas Ltd. Walter Wagbatsuma, AdaohaUgo-Ngadi,
Fakunde Babefemi and Ezekiel Ejide will be arraigned before Justice
Habeeb Abiru in Ikeja same day.
On Thursday, the remaining four
suspects, Durosola Omogbenigun, Peter Mba along with Integrated
Resources Limited and Pinnacle Oil and Gas will appear before Justice
Babajide Candide-Johnson of the Lagos High court in Igbosere on four
counts.
While Ejide is director of an Accounting
firm, Akintola Williams Deliote, Fakunde is on the staff of the
Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulating Agency.
According to the charge information
sighted by one of our correspondents in Lagos, all the counts preferred
against the accused border on conspiracy, obtaining money by false
pretences, forgery and use of false documents.
The accused were said to have at
different occasions in 2011 fraudulently obtained various sums of money
with respect to certain quantities of Premium Motoring Spirit from the
Federal Government under the Petroleum Support Fund.
They were said to have purported the
sums of money to be payments for the subsidy of various litres of PMS
which they allegedly failed to deliver.
They were also said to have forged bills
of lading and other vital documents which they allegedly used in
perpetrating the fraud.
Tukur, Alex, Alao and Eternal Oil and Gas, are charged with nine counts.
They allegedly obtained a total sum of
N676.9m from the Federal Government fraudulently, purporting same to be
subsidy payment accruing to Eterna Oil on April 28, 2011 in Lagos.
The EFCC also accused them of falsifying
claims to have purchased 33,288,388 litres of PMS from Mercury Energy
Trading AS and imported same to Nigeria through Ex-QMT Fulmer, Ex-MT
Emirates ZStar and Ex-MTPanther.
Alao was alleged to have fraudulently
obtained N2.5bn in December 2010 from the Federal Government as subsidy
payments for supplying 13,364,284 and 20,014,627 litres of petrol.
Wagbatsuma, Ugo-Ngadi, Babafemi, Ejide,
Ontario Oiland Gas, were on their part, accused of fraudulently
obtaining over N1.9bn from July to December 2010.
Integrated Resources Limited along with
Omogbemigun was said to have on November 15, 2011, fraudulently obtained
N823,304,765.84 as subsidy payment.
The said amount was said to have been collected with respect of 9,190,815 litres of PMS.
Mba was said to have on February 4,
2011, fraudulently obtained N986,154,970.41 purportedly in respect of
19,347,753 litres of PMS.
The EFCC said their alleged offences
contravened Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud
Related Offences Act of 2006 and Sections 467 and 468 of the Criminal
Code Laws of Lagos State 2003.
Uwujaren said the trial of those to be
arraigned today and tomorrow would be based on the report of the EFCC’s
independent investigation.
The anti-graft commission’s spokesman
apparently made the clarification to allay fears that the trial of the
suspected subsidy thieves would not be based on the report of the House
of Representatives’ panel on management of fuel subsidy.
Analysts had raised questions on the
credibility of the House panel report given the $620,000 bribery scandal
involving the chairman of the panel, Farouk Lawan.
An oil marketer, Femi Otedola, had recently exposed the alleged $3m bribery deal between himself and Lawan.
Otedola said the deal was made in order
to remove the name of his firm, Zenon Oil, and Gas Limited, from the
list of firms indicted in the N1.7tn short-changing of government during
the fuel subsidy regime.
The businessman disclosed he had given
Lawan a $620,000 part-payment but refused to pay the balance because,
according to him, the lawmaker forced him into the deal. After initial
denials, Lawan had also admitted that he collected the money but not as a
bribe but as evidence that Otedola had tried to influence him unduly.
The scandal is currently under investigation by the police and ethics committee of the House.
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