Fresh facts have emerged about how four officials of the Bayelsa state government who are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over a N2 billion scam,  shared the money which was meant for augmentation of the state’s workers salary.  A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja was on Tuesday November 30, 2010 told that the officials:  Bayelsa state Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Charles Sylva Osuala, and three others:  Francis Okokuro, Abbot T. Clinton and Ikobho Anthony Howells, actually shared the money among themselves.

The accused were recently arraigned on a six count charge of criminal conspiracy and money laundering among others by the EFCC.

At the resumed hearing of the case,  prosecution witness, Adeniyi Adebayo,  tendered the statements he obtained from the accused persons  during investigation before Justice Donatus Okorowa. He said that the accused admitted sharing the money among themselves under various guises. Though counsel to the accused persons,  raised an  objection to the admissibility of the statements as an  evidence, a development which prolonged proceedings of the court, the accused persons were however made to withdraw their objections.

Adebayo told the court that the accused persons between October 2009 and February 2010, at various places in Nigeria induced the Union Bank Plc, with the intent to defraud, to grant an overdraft facility of the sum of N2 billion to the Bayelsa state Government under the false pretence of using the amount to augment salaries of the state workers. He also told the court that letters were written to UBA and Intercontinental Bank investigating the fraud  and prayed the court to give him time to tender the correspondence with the banks at the next adjourned date.   While adjourning the case to December 14 th and 15 th for continuation of hearing, the judge urged all parties to the case to ensure expeditious determination of the case.
 

Count one of the six count charge reads: “That you, Francis Okokuro, Abot T. Clinton, Ikobho Anthony Howells and Dr. Charles Sylva Osuala on or about the 22 nd of January, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N380, 000,000.00 (three Hundred and Eight Million Naira), property of the 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 the said illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under Section 14(1) of the same Act”.