Witness confirms Ali's firm's participation in subsidy scam
THE trial of former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, for alleged forgery and fraud at the Abuja High Court has been adjourned till February 14, 2013.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had on June 21, 2010, arraigned Ogbulafor and two others, Mr. Emeka Ebilah and Mr. Jude Nwokoro, over an amended 17-count criminal charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and fraud.
They are facing trial before Justice Ishaq Bello for allegedly using three fictitious companies to defraud the Federal Government to the tune of about N2.2 billion in 2001.
The three fake companies they allegedly floated in 2001 to siphon N82.6 million, N11.5 million and N6.2 million respectively, were listed by the anti-graft agency in its charge sheet as Henrichiko Nig Ltd, DHL Consultants and Chekwas Industries.
Ogbulafor was alleged to have used his position as head of the National Economic Intelligence Committee (NEIC), set up to verify debts owed local contractors, to okay as genuine several forged documents, which were relied upon to certify that the three bogus companies executed jobs worth over N2.2 billion.
Meanwhile, Victor Sanusi, a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Mamman Nasir Ali, son of a former chairman of the PDP, Ahmadu Ali, and three others at an Ikeja High Court over their roles in a N4.4 billion subsidy scam, yesterday confirmed that Nasaman Oil and Gas, a company linked to Ali, took part in the subsidy regime.
Specifically, the witness, who came from the Petroleum Products and Price Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), said Nasaman Oil and Gas applied and was given six allocations of petrol import, but only participated in four.
However, Sanusi, the first witness at the trial, while being led in evidence by the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Francis Usani, denied knowing Ali, as well as Christian Taylor and Seun Ogunbambo, the other defendants in the case.
Sanusi explained that when his agency grants permit for a marketer to import fuel, such marketer is also expected to get another one from the Department of Petroleum Resources. According to him, the marketer would then be required to obtain a Letter of Credit from a bank or provide Bill for Collection (a document stating the willingness of the marketer to sell the product).
He, however, said the Bill for Collection was no longer accepted because of the issue of transparency on the part of marketers. Nasaman Oil and Gas, Ali, Taylor and Ogunbambo are standing trial before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo for allegedly obtaining N4.4 billion from the Federal Government of Nigeria under false pretence.
The money was alleged to have been fraudulently obtained as subsidy payments from the Petroleum Support Fund for the purported importation of 30.5 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit from SEATAC Petroleum Limited of British Virgin Islands. Further hearing has been adjourned till February11, 2013.
The Guardian