The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] yesterday failed in its bid to arraign former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva on a fresh 50-count corruption charges instituted against him before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Sylva is being charged alongside three others, including Francis Okokuro, Gbenga Balogun and Samuel Ogbuku for allegedly using three companies, Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction and Logistics Limited to steal N19.2 billion from the state government during his administration.
The fraud, according to the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), allegedly occurred between 2009 and 2012, under the pretence that they were being used to augment salaries of the government workers.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed of another Federal High Court had earlier dismissed one of two fraud cases instituted by the anti-graft agency against Sylva on the grounds that it was an abuse of court process.
Also, on June 1, 2015, Justice Evoh Chukwu, also of the Federal High Court, Abuja, struck out the other case against Sylva following the application filed by the Ministry of Justice to withdraw it.
When the matter came up yesterday before Justice Ademola Adeniyi, Sylva’s legal team anchored by Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) asked the court to quash the charges on the grounds that they constituted an abuse.
(The Sun)
