The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Finance, Silva Charles Opuala, who was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) two weeks ago, turned himself in to operatives of the commission yesterday.

Mr. Opuala, alongside two other officials of the state, reported to the commission yesterday morning and were detained pending their arraignment in court.

The officials, who were accompanied to the commission's office by a team of lawyers led by the Special Adviser to the state governor on Legal Matters, Dennis Otiotio, arrived at the EFCC investigations department at about 9.50am.

Spokesman of the EFCC, Femi Babafemi, confirmed that the trio were in their custody.

Mr. Opuala was declared wanted for deliberately refusing to honour three invitations sent to him by the anti-graft agency to answer questions concerning the diversion of N2.4 billion, for which charges have also been filed against four other officials.

Minding government business

The EFCC had dispatched three letters to Mr. Opuala in March, but the commissioner chose not to honour the invitation letters and was reported to have gone into hiding.

The Bayelsa State Commissioner of Information, Nathan Egba, denies that Mr. Opuala had gone into hiding.

"We wish to state that he is not running away from the law. He stayed back in Bayelsa based on an agreement between the EFCC and the state government, in order that all government businesses would not ground to a halt," Mr Egba said.

He also added that Mr. Opuala needed to arrange for salaries of civil servants for the month of March and ‘also make necessary arrangements for the smooth flow of government business in his absence' before turning himself in to the EFCC.

The former finance commissioner and three other senior officials of the state are facing a six-count charge of money laundering before a High Court in Abuja.

Link:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5553814-147/bayelsa_finance_commissioner_turns_himself_in.csp

A federal high court sitting in Abuja presided by Hon. Justice E. S. Chukwu on Wednesday 9th October, 2013 granted leave to federal prosecutors to withdraw charges against Dr Silva Opuala-Charles, former Commissioner for Finance, Bayelsa State and 2 former senior Bayelsa state officials under the government of Chief Timipre Sylva.

On 30th September 2013 John Ainetor Esq leading Folorunsho Adedeji Esq for the prosecution applied for a Notice of Withdrawal of the original suit which was filed by the Federal Government in 2010

The Discharge Order of 9th October 2013 which struck out CHARGE No.FHC/ABJ/CR/55 immediately ordered the discharge of Dr. Silva Opuala-Charles (the former Commissioner of Finance) and his two co-defendants, namely Abbot T Clinton (Director of Treasury) and Ikhobo Anthony Howells (Director of Finance). The court further ordered that all sureties discharged and all property documents released to them forthwith.

http://www.urhobovanguard.com/2013/10/24/court-struck-out-charges-against-bayelsa-officials/