High profile corruption: How Bode George ran N85 billion contract scam in NPA

In our review of high profile corruption trials today, former Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Olabode George was accused of N85 billion contract scam.

Chief George was found guilty on 47 out of the 68 counts and sentenced to jail for 30 months with the total sentences adding up to 28 years.

Read on:

Bode George – N85 billion contract scam

Chief Bode George is the former Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

He was charged with suit No: ID/71c/2008 before Justice J.O.K Oyewole of High Court No.33, Criminal Division on Monday 26, October, 2009.

In April 2005, Chief Olabode George threatened court action over a newspaper allegation that an N85 billion scam was uncovered in the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) while he was chairman of the NPA board.

He described the allegation as senseless, baseless and thoughtless.

He was indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when it was headed by Mr. Nuhu Ribadu on charges of fraud at the NPA.

However, he was widely rumoured to have been shielded from prosecution by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The EFCC report issued on 1st April, 2005, stated that NPA board members, including Chairman Bode George, and the management of the NPA should be held responsible for deliberate and flagrant violations of government rules and regulations governing the award of contracts.

The report said the culprits should be sanctioned for contract splitting and inflation of contract price in utter disregard to laid down government rules and regulations.

Former President Obasanjo dismissed the findings as inconclusive, and ordered another investigation. The second EFCC report cleared Bode George.

In August 2008, the EFCC under its new head Farida Waziri arrested Olabode George in Lagos and arraigned him and four others on 163 count charges of conspiracy, disobedience to lawful order, abuse of office and alleged illegal award of contracts worth N84 billion while he was chairman of the NPA.

After the trial had started, the EFCC reduced the charges to 63 counts.

In October 2009, Bode George was found guilty and sentenced to jail for 30 months.

The sentence was handed out by Justice Joseph Olubunmi Oyewole. The judge found the defendants guilty on 47 out of the 68 counts.

The total sentences added up to 28 years, but the counts for disobedience to lawful order were ruled to run concurrently for six months, and the counts for contract inflation then to run concurrently for two years.

George’s lawyers filed an appeal and requested bail pending resolution of the appeal. The appeal was however refused by the court.

As a prisoner, Chief Bode George and his colleagues were placed in the V.I.P. section of the prison.

They were not required to wear prison uniforms and were allowed to have meals prepared by their families what ordinarily they will not subject other prisoners to.

On December 13th, 2013, the Supreme Court discharged and acquitted Bode George.

The court, headed by Justice John Afolabi Fabiyi said the EFCC had no evidence that George intended to commit fraud at the NPA, and the charges of “contract splitting” was unknown to law.

Hence he was discharged and acquitted. The case is closed.

Read also:

High profile corruption: How Saraki got enmeshed in N3.5b fraud thru his aide—Makanjuola

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[This Publication includes part of a compendium by Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) covering corruption cases as at 22nd of November, 2019.