EFCC Rearaigned NBA President Paul Usoro SAN For Alleged N1.4bn Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday arraigned the the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Paul Usoro (SAN), for an alleged fraud of N1.4bn.

Usoro was arraigned on 10 counts before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He was subsequently admitted to N250m bail by Justice Muslim Hassan, following an application by his legal team led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN).
The N250m bail was with one surety in like sum.
The judge said the surety must be a civil servant not below a Director in civil service.
The judge, however, released Usoro to a member of his legal team, Chief Bassey Effiong (SAN), pending when he would meet the bail conditions.
Prior to the arraignment, Olanipekun had informed the judge about a December 17, 2018 letter, which Usoro wrote to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Adamu Abdul-Kafarati, seeking the transfer of his case from Justice Hassan for an undisclosed reason.
Olanipekun said Usoro would want the case transferred to either Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, or Abuja or that if the case would remain in Lagos, it should transferred to “any other honourable judge apart from my noble Lord.”
Olanipekun described Usoro’s request as innocuous, arguing that he had a right to make the request.
He urged Justice Muslim to wait for the decision of the CJ on Usoro’s request before proceeding with the case.
But the prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, opposed the prayer, noting that the order of the court adjourning till Tuesday for arraignment had not been set aside.
He also described Olaanipekun’s request as a temporary stay of proceedings, which he said Section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 had been outlawed.
“My Lord cannot act in anticipation of a yet-to-be-taken administrative decision of the Chief Judge to keep this matter in limbo,” the EFCC argued, urging the judge to allow Usoro to be arraigned.
While urging the judge to save the court’s judicial time, Oyedepo argued that Usoro would lose nothing if after he was arraigned the Chief Judge granted his request and transferred the case.
In a ruling, Justice Hassan held that he had no jurisdiction to look into the merit or otherwise of Usoro’s letter to the Chief Judge, and as such until the CJ took a decision, he would continue to hear the case.
After Usoro was arraigned and granted bail, Justice Hassan adjourned till February 5, 2018 for continuation of trial.
In the charges, the EFCC claimed that Usoro converted and laundered N1.4bn in connivance with the governor of his state, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State.
Emmanuel was however not listed as a defendant in the charge, as the EFCC indicated that he is “currently constitutionally immuned against criminal prosecution”.
Also mentioned in the body of the charges were one Nsikan Nkan, described as Commissioner for Finance, Akwa Ibom State; one Mfon Udomah, described as the Accountant General of Akwa Ibom State; one Uwemedimo Nwoko, described as the Akwa Ibom State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice; and Margaret Ukpe, all of whom were said to be at large.
The EFCC claimed that Usoro in connivance with the others mentioned conspired among themselves to commit the offence sometime in 2015 “within the jurisdiction of this honourable court”.
The anti-graft agency claimed that the N1.4bn allegedly converted and laundered by the defendants belonged to the Akwa Ibom State Government.
Counsel for the EFCC, Oyedepo, who signed the charge sheet, said in the charge sheet the offence allegedly committed by the NBA President was contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
He added that the SAN is liable to be punished under Section 15(3) of the same Act.