The case involving a former governor of Bayelsa State,
Timipre Sylva, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, on a fresh 50 count charge bordering on stealing and money
laundering, came up for mention Thursday, June 25, 2015 before Justice A. F.
Adeniyi of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Sylva is charged alongside Francis Okokuro, Gbenga Balogun,
and Samuel Ogbuku. They allegedly used three companies – Marlin Maritime
Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction and
Logistics Limited to move over N19.2 billion from Bayelsa State coffers between
2009 and 2012.
Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court had on June
10, 2015 dismissed the 42- count charge of stealing earlier brought against
Sylva and his co-accused by the EFCC, with the excuse that the prosecution’s
application to consolidate the charges before him, against the defendants,
amounted to an abuse of court process.
The Commission however, faulted the ruling on the grounds
that it was premature as the accused persons had not even taken any plea before
the court, and subsequently filed the fresh 50 count charge at the Federal High
Court.
At the resumed hearing before Justice Adeniyi, Sylva,
Okokuro and Ogbuku were present in court. The accused persons were to take
their pleas, but this could not happen, as there was a pending application
before the court. Ajayi Olowo, counsel to Balogun had filed a preliminary
objection, challenging the jurisdiction of the court, to hear the case.
Counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, also told the court
that investigators who visited Port Harcourt, Rivers State, discovered that the
addresses of Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction and
Logistics Limited were non-existent.
Justice Adeniyi thereafter, adjourned till July 9, 2015 for
continuation of hearing and ruling on the application brought before it.
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