EFCC drags NBA president to court over alleged N1.4bn fraud

President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Paul Usoro (SAN ), has been accused of committing N1.4 billion fraud and dragged to court.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) levelled the allegation against Usoro in a charge sheet marked FHC /418 c/18, and filed before Justice Muslim Hassan of the Federal High Court, Lagos.

Already, the judge has fixed December 10, 2018 for Usoro to be arraigned.

The anti-graft agency claimed in the charge that the NBA chairman in connivance with the governor of his state, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State, converted and laundered the money.

According to the EFCC, the Akwa Ibom State governor was not listed in the charge as he is “currently constitutionally immuned against criminal prosecution”.

However, one Nsikan Nkan, Commissioner for Finance, Akwa Ibom State; one Mfon Udomah, the Accountant General of Akwa Ibom State; one Uwemedimo Nwoko, Akwa Ibom State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice; and one Margaret Ukpe, all said to be at large, were mentioned in the body of the charges.

The commission claimed that Usoro conspired with all those whose names appeared in the charge sheets to carry out the alleged offence sometime in 2015 “within the jurisdiction of this honourable court”.

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In the charge signed by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, the commission said that the supposedly laundered money belonged to the Akwa Ibom State Government.

It added that the alleged offence was contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 and is liable to be punished under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

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