N190m fraud: Oronsaye arraigned, admitted to N10m bail
ECOWAS court to decide jurisdiction over Dasuki’s detention
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arraigned a former Head of Service of the federation, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye, on two count criminal charge before Justice Olasumbo Goodluck of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Maitama district of Abuja. This is even as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice on Tuesday fixed April 11, 2016 to determine whether it has jurisdiction to decide a suit filed by former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) who has been in custody since December 23, 2015. After Oronsaye’s arraignment, Justice Goodluck however admitted him to bail in the sum of N10 million and two sureties in the sum of N5m each. The two sureties must be serving or retired directors resident in Abuja. Although the judge was silent on Oronsaye’s remand, EFCC operatives returned him to their custody instead of prison.
Oronsaye, who also served as the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force, was alleged to have on December 30, 2014 converted to personal used the total sum of N190 million through Access Bank Plc at nine per cent interest for 90 days. When the two count charge was read to him, he pleaded not guilty. The charges are as follows: “Stephen Oronsaye a.k.a. Mr Steve Oronsaye on or about 12th June, 2013 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory whilst being the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force and in such capacity entrusted with certain property to wit: the sum of N90,000,000.00 ( Ninety Million Naira) committed Breach of Trust in respect of the said sum by converting it to your personal use through the investment of the said sum of N90,000,000.00 in Access Bank Plc’s Bankers Acceptance for a tenor of 90 days at 9.0% interest rate in violation of the extant financial regulations “Stephen Oronsaye a.k.a. Mr. Steve Oronsaye on or about 30th December, 2014 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory whilst being the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force and in such capacity entrusted with certain property to wit: the sum of N100,000,000.00 (One Hundred Million Naira) committed Breach of Trust in respect of the said sum by converting it to your personal use through the investment of the said sum of N90,000,000.00 in Access Bank Plc’s Bankers Acceptance for a tenor of 90 days at 12.0% interest rate each in violation of the extant financial regulations. Oronsaye was first arrested last year over an alleged N6.2 billion pension fraud. He was arraigned on 24-count charges before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court who released him on bail on self-recognition.
Following the plea of not guilty on Tuesday, the Prosecution Counsel, O. Uket, applied that the defendant to be remanded in prison custody pending trial. The application was vehemently opposed by defence counsel, Joe Agi, who was leading two other Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Joe Okeaya-Inneh and J. Layeni. They argued that the case must go on day-today. Justice Olasumbo Goodluck stood down the case till noon for trial. At the resumed trial, an EFCC witness, Ngunna Kakwagh, the head of the investigating team on the fraud, told the court that Oronsaye single-handily operated a separate account at Access Bank different from the account at Zenith Bank that was approved for the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force and known to the members of the committee. The witness also told the court that the defendant deposited N45m into the account while the Central Bank of Nigeria at various times transferred the sums of N50m, N90m and N45m into the account. Oronsaye, the witness added, at various times made fixed deposits of N100m, N30m and N60m from the Access Bank account of the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force without the knowledge of members of the committee.
According to the witness, the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force operated an approved Account with Zenith Bank that was known to its members in which Stephen Oronsaye and Jalla Alabi were co-signatories. The matter has been adjourned to March 24 and April 13 and 14 for trial. Meanwhile, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice on Tuesday fixed April 11, 2016 to determine whether it has jurisdiction to decide a suit filed by embattled former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) who has been in custody since December 23, 2015. Dasuki approached the ECOWAS court after attempts to secure his release on bail granted by three separate high courts in Abuja had failed. Even his prayer for release on Tuesday also met vehement objection by the Federal Government counsel, Mr. T. A. Gazalli, who urged the court refuse jurisdiction on the ground that he has already been charged to Nigerian Courts for various alleged offences.
The counsel argued that the ECOWAS Court has no jurisdiction to enforce the bail conditions granted Dasuki because it cannot sit as an appellate court to the Nigerian Courts. But counsel to Dasuki, Mr. Wale Balogun, had prayed the Court to dismiss the objection of the Federal Government for being misconceived and misplaced. Balogun told a panel of three Justices of ECOWAS Court, led by Justice Friday Chijioke Nwoke, that what Dasuki was asking for is the enforcement of his fundamental rights to freedom, having being arrested and detained since December 2015 without allowing him to go on bail.
