Suspended Account-General, Ahmed Idris, eyes plea bargain in trial for alleged N109bn fraud

The Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, is exploring a plea bargain arrangement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in his trial for alleged N109 billion fraud.

The commission arraigned the AGF and three other defendants on a 14-count charge of stealing and criminal breach of trust on July 22.

Other defendants are – Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman, and a firm — Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited.

Idris was suspended indefinitely by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, following his arrest by the EFCC in May.

At Wednesday’s proceeding, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, told the court that Idris and other defendants had through a third party requested a meeting with him to negotiate the plea bargain arrangement.

READ ALSO: Ahmed Idris, embattled Accountant-General, granted bail over alleged N109.5bn fraud

He, however, added that the meeting which was slated for last Monday was suspended after a lawyer from the chambers of the AGF’s counsel, Chris Uche, protested their exclusion from the arrangement.

Jacobs said: “My lord, the defendants sent a third party to me to express their interest in a plea bargain arrangement and wanted us to meet.

“But I informed them that such a meeting will only take place with their lawyers in attendance because a thing has to be open and transparent.

“Since section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act encourages settlement and plea bargaining, I told them to come with their lawyers and that I would also invite the investigators to come for the meeting.

However, a lawyer from the chamber of the counsel to the first defendant, Mr. Kanayo Okafor, came to my office at the EFCC and complained that they were not carried along and that his client will not attend the meeting.”

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