The legal issue which holds the potential to embarrass the incoming administration of Muhammadu Buhari resumes tomorrow at the Federal High Court, Abuja, involving a former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva. He is accused of stealing N19.2billion from the state treasury while he was the governor between 2007 and 2011.


Sylva, a bitter political opponent of President Goodluck Jonathan, is co-chairman of the Presidential Inauguration Planning Committee with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim.

The former Bayelsa chief executive was docked by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside others in July 2014, for allegedly using three companies to siphon funds from the state treasury between 2009 and 2012.

The companies are Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween- Blue Construction and Logistics Limited.

But Sylva, who mounted the dock with one of his alleged accomplices, Gbenga Balogun, could not enter his plea at that time due to the absence of two other co-accused personss: Francis Okokuro and Samuel Ogbuku.

Consequently, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Adegbite Adeniyi, urged the court to issue a bench warrant against them.

That application was vehemently opposed by Sylva’s lawyer, Isreal Olorundare, who insisted that the court must first determine the competence of his motion challenging the 42-count criminal charge preferred against his client by the EFCC, as well as the legal standing of the lead prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, to handle the matter.

Presiding, Justice A Y Mohammed ordered that a criminal summon should be issued against the absentee accused persons.

“As far as this court is concerned, there is a charge brought against the accused persons and they are expected to be in court at all times. There is no such position of the law known to this court that an accused person who is challenging the process before the court or jurisdiction should not appear in court”.


It is unclear how Mr. Sylva will harmonize his high-profile image and responsibilities with the presidential inauguration team in one side of Abuja with his trial for fraud in court in another; or how his legal troubles will impact on the image of the incoming administration.