NBA President. Paul Usoro. |
Paul
Usoro, President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), was arrested on Tuesday
by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)in relation to multiple
corruption allegations, Sahara Reporters has been told.
However,
he was released on bail and has been charged to court.
Usoro’s
arrest came two days before he presides over his first National Executive
Committee (NEC) meeting as President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on
Thursday.
He
emerged NBA President in August following an election that one of his opponents
said was characterized by “corruption, massive vote buying, vote capture,
rigging and skewed process.
Earllier
in November, the EFCC had narrated Usoro’s alleged role in how the sum of N1.7
billion was withdrawn from the Akwa Ibom State government’s accounts and
diverted for personal use.
In
a statement of defence filed before the Federal High Court in Uyo and seen by
SaharaRepoters, the commission indicted Emmanuel Udom, Akwa Ibom State
Governor; the Accountant General of the state, Uwem Sunday Andrew-Essien;
Commissioner of Finance, Nsikan Linus Nkan; one Margeret Thompson Ukpe and a
company, Paul Usoro & Co.
In
August, the anti-graft agency had placed a freeze order on all bank accounts
controlled by the Akwa Ibom State government, leading to the filing of a N50
billion law suit against the commission by the Attorney General of Akwa Ibom
State.
However,
in its response, EFCC said it acted within the purview of its enactment act
that empowers it to place a stop order on any account suspected to be involved
in any crime. It said on March 10, 2016, the sum of N700 million was withdrawn
in cash from the state’s Accountant General’s imprest account.
EFCC
stated further: “That out of the said N700,000,000.00, the sum of
N300,000,000.00 was deposited in cash to the Zenith account No. 1014604466belonging
to Paul Usoro & Co on the 14th of March, 2016 without any contractual
relationship between Akwa Ibom State and the said Paul Usoro & Co.
“That
the 1st defendant (EFCC) invited Paul Usoro (SAN) who volunteered extra
judicial statement confessing that the said N300,000,000.00 was his
professional fees for handling Mr. Udom Emmanuel’s personal matter before the
election tribunal. That the remaining N400,000,000.00 was also diverted to
private use.
“That
in similar vein, the total sum of N1,100,000,000.00 was also removed from the
Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Justice account No. 1011191486 domiciled
in Zenith Bank Plc and lodged in the Paul Usoro & Co’s account number 0690123425domiciled
with Access Bank Plc without reasonable justification.”
The
anti-graft agency claimed that out of the N1.1 billion, Uwemedimo Thomas Nwoko
received a kickback of N65million from Paul Usoro.
The
Akwa Ibom case is not the only bribery allegation against Usoro. In October,
the National Judicial Council (NJC) asked President Muhammadu Buhari to dismiss
two judges after they were investigated and found to be guilty of corruption
allegations brought against them by the EFCC.
The
affected judges were Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court and James
Agbadu-Fishim of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, who had been in the
news for at least two years for allegedly receiving bribe from Usoro.
NBA’s
NEC meeting holds on Thursday (arrival on Wednesday and departure on Friday) at
the NBA Auditorium, NBA House, Plot 1101 Muhamadu Buhari Way, Cadastral Zone
A00 Central Area, Abuja.
Attendance
is restricted to only statutory NEC members, who are the national officers,
past presidents, past general secretaries, branch chairmen, branch secretaries,
branch NEC representatives, and chairmen and secretaries of sections.
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