JUST IN: Court Acquits Top Nigerian Businessman of $1.6 Billion Fraud
- Jide Omokore has been acquitted of charges of money laundering by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja
- The Nigerian businessman was been tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for charges bordering on money laundering
- According to the court, the anti-graft agency failed to prove its case against the first to third defendants
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A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Nigeria's capital city has discharged and acquitted Jide Omokore, the chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited, of fraud allegations.
Omokore was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside Victor Briggs, Abiye Membere, and David Mbanefo on a 15-count charge on July 4, 2016.
Source: UGC
They were alleged to have fraudulently diverted about $1.6 million alleged to be part of proceeds of sales of petroleum products belonging to the federal government.
Recall that French law enforcement officers detained a private jet conveying a Nigerian businessman, Jide Omokore, in Paris in 2012.
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Omokore, an associate of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s closest business associates, had arrived in Paris from Monaco.
A French police source disclosed that the plane was detained for two days although did not disclose the make and model of the jet nor the exact date the aircraft was detained but disclosed that the private jet was detained as part of an investigation into its ownership.
Subsequently, Omokore who is also an ally to former minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Madueke was arraigned before the court by the EFCC on a 15-count charge.
However, delivering his judgement Justice Nnamdi Dimgba held that the EFCC failed to prove its case against the first to third defendants.
The Cable reports that the judge held that the EFCC failed to prove that the three defendants falsely represented themselves as possessing the required technical and financial competence to carry out public projects.
Again, Court Sends EFCC Chairman to Kuje Prison, Gives Marching Order to IGP
The Kogi state high court has ordered the IGP to arrest and detain the chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, in Kuje prison for 14 days.
Bawa was said to have disobeyed the court order that asked him to provide an application in the case of Ali Bello.
Bello has dragged the anti-graft agency boss before the court over the claim that he was illegally arrested and detained by the EFCC.
Magistrate receives query for issuing warrant of arrest for PDP governorship candidate
Legit.ng earlier reported that a chief magistrate, Emmanuel Iyanna, had earlier been queried by the chief judge of the Abuja federal high court.
The chief magistrate was queried over the warrant of arrest he issued on Umo Eno, the PDP governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom state.
The PDP candidate has sent a petition through his legal team headed by Samuel Ikpo against Iyanna, claiming that the warrant was irregular and illegal.
Source: Legit.ng
