former Speaker House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, on a 16-count charge of fraud involving about N.3bn , to be arraigned in court today . I’m being persecuted, tortured –Ex-Speaker

The Economic and Financial Crimes C o m m i s s i o n (EFCC) yesterday got the nod of the Federal High Court, Abuja to arraign former Speaker House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, on a 16-count charge of fraud involving about N.3bn. The total money involved in the alleged fraud, according to EFCC, was stolen in just one day-May 28, 2008. The anti-graft agency which arrested Bankole in his Asokoro home on Sunday night said the former Speaker conspired with some unnamed persons, now at large, to commit the alleged fraud, through inflation of contract sums. But Bankole himself yesterday fired back from detention that he had done nothing wrong. He said, if anything, EFCC was only poised to persecute him for the negative comments credited to him by Wikileaks recently about the value of the anti-graft agency by virtue of its approach to tackling corruption. Wikileaks had credited to Bankole that EFCC is not “worth a penny.”

Bankole said through his aide, Mr. Idowu Bakare, that even though he had publicly denied making such a statement about the organization months ago, he said EFCC would not forgive him and wanted to punish him for what he never did. But the EFCC yesterday replied Bankole that his argument was arrant nonsense. It said that he committed sundry offences while in office and that he must pay for it. The anti-graft agency claimed that the charges preferred against him were backed up by proof of evidence and that it was not a make-belief as he wanted the members of the public to believe. The commission added that he was involved in several inflation of contracts. For instance, Bankole alongside others yet unnamed, according to EFCC, inflated the cost of 400 units of 40-inch Samsung LNs television sets by approving the purchase of the sets at the rate of N525,000 per unit instead of the prevailing market price of N295,000, thereby diverted a total N92m into his private pocket.

He was also alleged to have conspired with certain accomplices to divert a total of N136m public fund into private pockets through inflation of the unit price of desktop computers (HP Compaq dc 5700) which prevailing unit price was N160,000 instead of N330,000 allegedly approved by Bankole and his men. Other contracts used as conduit to allegedly siphon money from the public till, according to EFCC, were the alleged approvals for the purchase of 100 units of Sharp Digital Copier 5316 from which a total amount of 11m was allegedly fleeced; purchase of 400 units of HP Laserjet 2600N from which N36m was allegedly stolen from the public coffer, among others.

Although Bankole and other unnamed principal officers of the House of Representatives were also accused by EFCC to have perpetrated similar offences in the approval given for the purchase of two units of Range Rover bullet proof vehicles and another three units of Mercedes Benz S-600 cars, no specific amount was mention to have been fraudulently benefited by the ex-Speaker. The EFCC yesterday said that it had an iron cast case against Bankole to rail-road him into jail. The agency said it had lined up officials of Bureau of Public Enterprises, (BPE), Due Process Office and National Assembly Tenders Board to testify against him. It also said yesterday that it was in possession of all contract documents relating to the counts, the minute of meeting of May 28, 2008 where all the alleged criminal decisions were taken, Bankole’s statements and the statements of other witnesses willing to testify against him. Although there were 16 counts in the charge, none mentioned anything on the controversial N10bn scam which many thought was the source of his trouble. Lagos lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has been given the fiat to prosecute the ex-Speaker. It is feared that the case might not go the way of Mr. Kenny Martins also handled by Keyamo.

he case was struck out on the grounds of Martins, objection to Keyamo’s appearance in the case having written a number of petitions against Martins calling for his prosecution. Martins had asked the court to hold that Keyamo was a persecutor in the case and not a prosecutor a view which the court upheld. Keyamo who is presently prosecuting the case had also written petition against the former Speaker on the alleged N2.3bn car scam in the house. The trial of the case might be hampered if Bankole toed the line of Kenny Martins in the case. However, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, has assigned the case to Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Abuja division of the high court for trial. Bankole is expected to be docked this morning to enter his plea to each of the counts. It is not clear as at press time whether a fresh charge would be preferred against him on other allegations not contained in the instant charge.

Meanwhile, Bankole yesterday alleged that the EFCC is subjecting him to psychological torture in its detention facility also complained that his lawyers and relations are being denied access to him. He protested the inhuman and illegal treatment in a statement signed by one of his aides, Idowu Bakare, in which he said: “The EFCC is presently subjecting Bankole, the former Speaker, to psychological torture as it has refused access to him by his team of lawyers and family members since he was abducted on Sunday night at his residence in Asokoro, Abuja. “This is against his fundamental and constitutional rights to have access to his lawyers and close family members while in custody of the anti- graft agency. “Information at our disposal indicates that pressure was mounted on him throughout Sunday night to write a statement implicating some members of the House of Representatives.”
http://nationalmirroronline.net/news/13785.html

Can some different btw abduction and arrest, tht he was arrested.

This is just the beginning of democracy

He should have thought of the persecution and torture he'll receive before looting our treasuries with his deranged cohorts.

He ain't seen nothing yet.

How about the 10B Naira loan EFCC please tell Nigerians. It is our right to know!

I am amazed that the EFCC could come up with these mere 16 count charge against d Fmr speaker after all d 'noise' & 'drama' made over his arrest!

Am asking why the speaker will be involved in procurement when he has more important duties to do. Is there no procurement unit in the House, that he involved himself in these deals.

Nigerian leaders sure condescend too low when they get to public office.

He deserve a fair trial at least!

When Nigeria Police start to treat all Criminal equal, Nigeria is moving

Bankole is not better than and Armed robber, he should not be giving any media coverage better than that of Anini.

he must be insane for saying he was abducted and torture.Did he know millions of nigeria that he has torture while stealing billions with his cohort?money that was supposed to be used for well meaning nigerians.the 10b he got in buying of property with his father where did he get it from.he should spend some time in efcc net then to kirikiri and i dont know what his looks will be when he spends sometime in jail.
Ugly fool barawo

190:

DID EFCC SLAP HIM  

I bet they didn't even slap that his lip off.

Bank Ole. . . . . DIE BY HANGING jorrrrr. you send you? torture ko, beat ni

Now i know the reason why this guy always smile while presiding as d then speaker. God go punish u dia.

Ekpoma1:

Now i know the reason why this guy always smile while presiding as d then speaker. God go punish u dia.

He always had the thoughts of his 'loot' on his mind.

hbabe:


He always had the thoughts of his 'loot' on his mind.

Exactly.

If you're being persecuted for my sake relax your reward is in heaven . If they are water-boarding you then that's illegal .

why won't bank Ole die so that we will add his name on those that die for our democracy that is blood thirsty? is this democracy only interested in poor NYSC members? pls efcc, kill him.

Is he the only one? They should also arrest his partners in crime.

nisaac:

Is he the only one? They should also arrest his partners in crime.

Tha names of the partners are "others now at large"

1025:

why won't bank Ole die so that we will add his name on those that die for our democracy that is blood thirsty? is this democracy only interested in poor NYSC members? pls efcc, kill him.

Wetin be 'others at large'. Make dem go house nah. Who is fooling who.

Its a pity for this nation.
Patricia Eteh was alleged of 450million then.
bankole with more than 10 bill
watch out if the waziri tanbuala will not go trillion
with the way geometric progression is going

Dino Melaye must be laffing right now

Honorable jailbirds aka nigerian leaders. When will the like of Gej and Obj be face d wrath of d rogue law in nigeria?

u aint seen nothing yet!
Bank'ole.

Lol. Dont mind them jare, whom do they think they deceiving? They are all acting a written script.

Bensonite:

Tha names of the partners are "others now at large"

Manhandling and resistance of the police is suppose to be added in the charges

He considered himself being persecuted and tortured because the EFCC failed to lodge him ina five-star accomodation while being detained. He should be given a VIP treatment, remember he was a honourable Speaker of the house and not a common thief!

Since Bankole is not the only suspect here,why are the others not arrested and tried too ? Maybe efcc is not really worth a penny !

We can see how he's being tortured.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/460024_Bankole_jpg9a1d3f6a942b355c11ebf7b0da925e4e

^^^^

[size=14pt]Naija, Don't be surprised when all these Bankole stories will just die down like the rest of emm[/size]