A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday , struck out one of the nine counts of $1.6bn crude oil fraud instituted against businessma...
A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, struck out one of the nine counts of $1.6bn crude oil fraud instituted against businessman, Jide Omokore, and five others.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, in a ruling, struck out the eighth count
after hearing an application by a former Minister of Petroleum
Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, who had alleged that she was
indicted in the particular count, yet was not given the opportunity to
defend herself.
The six, named as defendants in the case included, Omokore, his two
companies, Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited and Atlantic
Energy Drilling Concepts Limited.
The other defendants are a former Managing Director of the Nigerian
Petroleum Development Company, Victor Briggs; a former Group Executive
Director, Exploration and Production of the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, Abiye Membere; and a former Manager, Planning and
Commercial of the NNPC, David Mbanefo.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had preferred nine
counts of criminal diversion of about $1.6bn alleged to be part of
proceeds of sales of petroleum products belonging to the Federal
Government, against the six defendants.
Allison-Madueke, who was said to be currently in the United Kingdom
facing some legal proceedings, was not listed among the existing six
defendants in the case to defend the charge, but she was, together with
Biggs, Membere and Mbanefo, in count eight, accused of aiding Omokore in
the commission of money laundering offence.
The offence she and others were accused of was said to be contrary
to section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as
amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.”
But the former minister, through her lawyer, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu
(SAN), on September 18, filed an application seeking among other
prayers, an order directing an amendment to the charges, by adding her
name as the seventh defendant to enable her to defend herself with
respect to the eight count.
Details soon.
Punch...
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