Tag Archives: Plead

Forgery Charge: Saraki, Ekweremadu Plead Not Guilty

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The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, were on Monday, docked before an Abuja High Court at Jabi over their alleged complicity in forgery of the Senate Standing Rules, 2015. The two lawmakers took turns and pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge preferred against them by the federal government.

They were arraigned alongside former Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa and his deputy, Mr. Benedict Efeturi. Shortly after the defendants entered their plea to the charge marked CR/219/16, the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Mr. Mohammed Diri, notified the court of FG’s counter-affidavit opposing release of the accused persons on bail. Diri told the court that the counter-affidavit which was filed Monday morning, was still pending before the court’s registry. He therefore persuaded trial Justice Yusuf Halilu to stand-down the matter for an hour to enable the registry to transmit the process to the court for hearing. Investigations revealed that FG, in its counter-affidavit, is seeking remand of both Saraki and Ekweremadu in custody.

Meantime, there is heavy security presence within perimeters of the court which shares boundary with the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, where Saraki is also answering to another 16-count charge bordering on his alleged false/anticipatory declaration of assets. Supporters of the embattled lawmakers thronged the court premises in their numbers to observe the proceeding.

Earlier, armed security operatives barred photo-journalists from gaining entrance into the court premises, a development that led to protest by the journalists. It took the intervention of lawyers to persuade the mobile police men to grant the camera men entry into the premises. Specifically, the four defendants were alleged to have masterminded the usage of a bogus Senate Standing Rules, for the July 9, 2015, election through which both Saraki and Ekweremadu took over the leadership of the Senate.

FG maintained that the defendants had by their conduct, committed an offence punishable under Section 97 (1) and 364 of the Penal Code Act. The two-count charge which was okayed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, read: “That you, Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, on or about, the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, conspired amongst yourselves to forge the Senate Standing Order, 2011 (as amended) and you thereby committed the offence of conspiracy, punishable under Section 97 (1) of the Penal Code Law.

“That you, Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, on or about the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, with fraudulent intent, forged the Senate Standing Order 2011 (as amended), causing it to be believed as the genuine Standing Order, 2015 and circulated same for use during the inauguration of the 8th Senate of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria when you knew that the said Order was not made in compliance with the procedure for amendment of the Senate Order. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code Law.”

Credit: Vanguard

Accused CBN Staff Plead Not Guilty Of Currency Scam

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The Federal High Court in Ibadan on Wednesday ordered the remand of eight bank officials over alleged currency scam. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had arraigned three CBN staff and five employees of First Bank Plc over the alleged scam.

The CBN employees are Kolawole Babalola, Olaniran Adeola and Togun Phillips while their alleged accomplices included Isiaq Akao, Ayodele Adeyemi, Oyebamiji Hakeem, Ayodeji Alase and Ajiwe Adegoke.

The commission arraigned the bank officials on a 28-count charge bordering on forgery, misrepresentation and self-enrichment before Justice A.O. Faji. The EFCC, in the charge, said the CBN staff conspired with the First Bank employees to recycle N10 million mutilated currency notes meant to be destroyed. Other charges preferred against the accused included amassing wealth beyond their statutory income and causing economic adversity to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty. Justice Faji ordered that the accused be remanded at the Agodi Prison in Ibadan while adjourning the matter till June 8 to hear the bail applications.

Earlier, Olayinka Bolanle, the defence counsel to the first accused person, Mr. Babalola, had made an oral bail application on behalf of his client. The judge, however, opposed the oral application and said he preferred written application for bail.

Credit: premiumtimesng

Two South African Men Plead Guilty To Rape & Murder Of 86 Year Old Nun

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Two South African men charged with the rape and murder of a 86-year-old Austrian-born nun pleaded guilty on Tuesday, saying they had broken into the convent to steal food. Sister Gertrud Tiefenbacher, from the Sacred Heart Home Convent in the village of Ixopo, southwest of Durban, was murdered last month. In a statement read in court, Sibongiseni Phungula, 25, said he and his co-accused, Mondli Shozi, 26, had gone to the covent to look for food after a night of drinking.

They were interrupted by Tiefenbacher, who shouted at them, the News 24 agency reported from Pietermaritzburg High Court. Shozi said he then grabbed her, dragging her to her room and tied her up. “I then removed her panties and had sexual intercourse with her,” said Phungula, adding the elderly nun was “still moving” when he left her in her bed.

Tiefenbacher’s body was discovered the following day, with her hands tied with an electric typewriter cord and a wet towel over her face. “I wish I could undo what I have done,” Phungula said in his statement. The two men admitted to stealing a vacuum cleaner, groceries and a watch before fleeing. They said they had met earlier in a pub where they drank a bottle of brandy and another bottle of spirits before setting off to the convent.

The trial was attended by nuns from the convent. Tiefenbacher moved to South Africa 50 years ago to work for the Roman Catholic Church.

Credit: sunnewsonline