Former Governor of Benue state, Gabriel Suswam.
Reports say the former Benue Governor, Gabriel Suswam and a former Commissioner for Finance, during his tenure, Omodachi Okolobia were charged to court on Tuesday, November 10th, 2015.
Punch Newspapers reports that they were arraigned before Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on a nine count charge, bothering on money laundering.
The EFCC accused Suswam and his accomplice of allegedly diverting N3.1bn from the Benue state coffers, for personal use.
An excerpt of the charge reads: “That
you Gabriel Torwua Suswam and Omodachi Okolobia, while being Benue
State Governor and Commissioner of Finance of Benue State respectively
on or about 17th October, 2014 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this
honourable court, did transfer, through Elixir Securities Limited, the
sum of N1,068,000,000.00 to the account of Fanffash Resources World-Wide
Limited, a bureau de change company, which sum you knew formed part of
the proceeds of unlawful activity: to wit: theft of the sum of
N3,111,008,018.51 which forms part of the sum of N9,411,708,009.51
realised from the sale of shares owned by Benue State Government and
Benue Investment and Property Company Limited and you hereby committed
an offence contrary to section 15(2) (b) of the Money Laundering
(Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under section
15(3) of the same Act.”
They have since been granted bail by Justice Mohammed to the sum of N100m with one surety each.
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