High profile corruption: How ex-NAMA DG got nabbed for alleged N6.5b fraud
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In our review of high profile corruption trials today, a former Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Ibrahim Abdulsalam was docked for alleged N6.8 billion fraud.
Read on:
Ibrahim Abdulsalam – N6.8 billion fraud
Mr. Ibrahim Abdulsalam is a former Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) who was charged for N6.5billion alleged fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on April 7, 2016 arraigned Abdulsalam alongside three directors of the agency and the wife of one of the directors before a Federal High Court in Lagos for alleged stealing.
They were arraigned before Justice Babs Kuewumi.
The other accused are: Adegorite Olumuyiwa, Agbolade Segun, Clara Aliche, Joy Adegorite, and two limited liability companies, Randville Investment Ltd and Multeng Travels and Tours Ltd. They had all pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The charge was subsequently amended to include three more accused persons, and all accused persons where rearraigned on April 12.
In the charge, the EFCC alleged that on August 19, 2013, the accused conspired to induce NAMA to deliver the sum of N2.8 billion to Delosa Ltd, Air Sea Delivery Ltd and Sea Schedules Systems Ltd.
The witness, Babatunde Adenekan said the money was paid in four tranches into the account of a contractor, Delosa Limited, after which it was transferred also in several tranches into bank accounts belonging to some officials of NAMA.
One of the counts reads:
“That you, Ibrahim Abdulsalam, Adegorite Olumuyiwa, Agbolade Segun, Clara Aliche, Joy Ayodele Adegorite, Randville Invesment Ltd And Multeng Travels And Tours Ltd, between the 1st day of January and the 30th day of December, 2015, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did commit an offence, to wit: “conversion of the sum of N336,803,308 property of NAMA, which sum was derived from stealing, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.”
At the resumed hearing, a prosecution witness, Nurudeen Bello, told the court that the total sum of N2.8 billion was transferred from the agency between 2013 and 2015 to different companies’ accounts for the personal use of the defendants.
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Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, Bello, an investigator with the EFCC, told the court that “the money was transferred in tranches to Randville Investment Limited and was further disbursed to several companies’ accounts, including another different account owned by Randville Investment Limited.”
In his further testimony, Bello also said that over N100m cash, mostly in tranches of N3m, were withdrawn from Randville by Agbolade.
Bello said the balance in the account of Randville before the fraud was perpetrated was N8.7 million, adding that “when the unlawful act was carried out, the credit turnover of Randville Investment Limited was N3.6 billion while the debit turnover was also N3.6 billion.
The case is now set for cross-examination and final judgment.
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High profile corruption: How Dokpesi was tried for N2.1b fraud
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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.
