Alleged N190m fraud: EFCC docks Orosanye on 2-count charge

Alleged N190m fraud: EFCC docks Orosanye on 2-count charge

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Tuesday, docked the former Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye, before an Abuja High Court.

Orosanye was arraigned before Justice Olasumbo Goodluck on a a two-count charge bordering on alleged N190million fraud. The former HoS was alleged to have abused his position as Chairman of the Presidential Committee on the Financial Action Task Force by fraudulently obtaining N190m, which the anti-graft agency insisted was part of N240m grant the committee received from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

EFCC alleged that the fund was paid into an Access Bank account that was operated by Oronsaye, without the knowledge of other members of the committee for his personal gains.

Orosanye pleaded not guilty to the charge, even as the EFCC, through its lawyer, Mr. O. Uket, applied for his remand in prison custody pending trial saying, “My lord, we shall be asking for a date to commence the trial, in the interim however we apply that the defendant be remanded in prison custody”

His application infuriated was faulted by the defence counsel, Mr. Joe Agi, SAN, who led three other Senior Advocates of Nigeria that entered appearance for the defendant. Agi, SAN, when he drew the attention of the court to the fact that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, had on Monday, directed that criminal cases must be heard on a day-to-day basis, starting from the day of arraignment.

He therefore urged the court to compel the EFCC to immediately open its case against his client.

In a short ruling, trial Justice Goodluck upheld the submission of the defence counsel and ordered the prosecution to produce its witnesses immediately.

Apparently not prepared for the sudden turn of events, the EFCC lawyer, Uket, begged the court for a stand down to enable him to go and fish for some of the proposed witnesses, an application that was accordingly granted.

The two-count charge against Orosanye read: “That you 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.
“That you 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”. ‎ Orosanye is equally facing an amended 35-count criminal charge before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, bordering on his alleged complicity in a N1.9bilion fraud.

He was charged alongside his alleged accomplice, ‎Mr. Osarenkhoe Afe and a firm that was allegedly used to perpetuate the fraud between March 2010 and December 2011-Frederick Hamilton and Global Services Limited‎. EFCC alleged that the defendants ‎used some companies and diverted over N1.9billion from the national treasury under the guise that the funds were used for biometric data capture project. The agency which initially arraigned the accused persons on July 13, 2015, on a 24-count charge, told the court ‎that it was tracking a former Deputy Director of Finance in the office of the Head of Service, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, (now at large), who it said was also involved in fraud.

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Tuesday, docked the former Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye, before an Abuja High Court.

Orosanye was arraigned before Justice Olasumbo Goodluck on a a two-count charge bordering on alleged N190million fraud. The former HoS was alleged to have abused his position as Chairman of the Presidential Committee on the Financial Action Task Force by fraudulently obtaining N190m, which the anti-graft agency insisted was part of N240m grant the committee received from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

EFCC alleged that the fund was paid into an Access Bank account that was operated by Oronsaye, without the knowledge of other members of the committee for his personal gains.

Orosanye pleaded not guilty to the charge, even as the EFCC, through its lawyer, Mr. O. Uket, applied for his remand in prison custody pending trial saying, “My lord, we shall be asking for a date to commence the trial, in the interim however we apply that the defendant be remanded in prison custody”

His application infuriated was faulted by the defence counsel, Mr. Joe Agi, SAN, who led three other Senior Advocates of Nigeria that entered appearance for the defendant. Agi, SAN, when he drew the attention of the court to the fact that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, had on Monday, directed that criminal cases must be heard on a day-to-day basis, starting from the day of arraignment.

He therefore urged the court to compel the EFCC to immediately open its case against his client.

In a short ruling, trial Justice Goodluck upheld the submission of the defence counsel and ordered the prosecution to produce its witnesses immediately.

Apparently not prepared for the sudden turn of events, the EFCC lawyer, Uket, begged the court for a stand down to enable him to go and fish for some of the proposed witnesses, an application that was accordingly granted.

The two-count charge against Orosanye read: “That you 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.
“That you 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”. ‎ Orosanye is equally facing an amended 35-count criminal charge before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, bordering on his alleged complicity in a N1.9bilion fraud.

He was charged alongside his alleged accomplice, ‎Mr. Osarenkhoe Afe and a firm that was allegedly used to perpetuate the fraud between March 2010 and December 2011-Frederick Hamilton and Global Services Limited‎. EFCC alleged that the defendants ‎used some companies and diverted over N1.9billion from the national treasury under the guise that the funds were used for biometric data capture project. The agency which initially arraigned the accused persons on July 13, 2015, on a 24-count charge, told the court ‎that it was tracking a former Deputy Director of Finance in the office of the Head of Service, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, (now at large), who it said was also involved in fraud.

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