Abuja high court lets police pension convict off with £3,000 fine

Abuja high court lets police pension convict off with £3,000 fine

 

Written by Manager2
Tuesday, 29 January 2013 12:58

 5 0

MILLIONS of Nigerians are incensed with the latest development in the so-called fight against corruption after an Abuja high court let former a Police Pension Officer (PPO) director off with a N750,000 (£3,000) fine for his involvement in a N39bn (£156.36bn) scam.

In a move which makes a mockery of the Jonathan administration's zero tolerance for corruption, yesterday, the Abuja High Court found John Yusuf, the PPO director guilty of fraud. However, he was only handed a two-year jail term with the option to pay a N750,000 fine for the three offences he  pleaded guilty to.

At the trial, Mr Yusuf pleaded guilty to conniving with others to defraud  police pensioners of N27.2bn (£109m)  and admitted to stealing N2bn (£8m) personally. Justice Abubakar Talba gave him the option of fine for the three offences he pleaded guilty to, which each attract a two-year jail  term.

With his sentencing, Mr  Yusuf becomes the first PPO official to be jailed in the ongoing trial of persons involved  in the N38.8bn Police pension scam. He will now forfeit 32 houses in the Federal Capital Territory and Gombe as well as  N325m (£1.3m) which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said were proceeds of crime.

Many in the courtroom openly expressed their amazement with Justice Talba’s judgment and the  exchanges among the lawyers, journalists, relatives of  the  accused persons and observers, were  loud enough for the court clerk to call everybody to order. Maiyaki Bala, Mr Yusuf's lawyer, said his client was ready to pay the fine immediately.

Mr Yusuf made the payment before leaving the court premises despite the fact that his bank accounts were reportedly frozen by the order of the court. He was issued with a revenue collector’s receipt before he left the court premises and was driven away in his personal car.

Mr Yusuf specifically pleaded guilty to counts 18, 19 and 20 in which he was alleged to have connived with the other suspects Essai Dangabar, Atiku Kigo, Ahmed  Wada, Veronica Uloma, Sani Zira, Uzoma  Attang and  Christian Madubuike  to convert the sums of N24.2bn, N1.3bn and N1.7bn, belonging to the office for  personal use. The trial continues for the other accused.

Pronouncing sentence on the convict, Justice Talba said he had taken favourable note of the fact that Mr Yusuf was a first time offender and had also opted on his own volition to plead guilty, thereby saving the time of the court. EFCC lawyer Rotimi Jacobs protested the option of fine given to the convict, noting that it  mocked the anti-corruption campaign of the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

An EFCC spokesman added: “The  EFCC has expressed reservation about the ruling of an FCT High Court, Abuja which handed a six-year-jail term with the option of N750, 000 fine to John Yakubu Yusufu, one of the persons standing trial in the police pension scam. The commission is of the view that the option of fine runs contrary to the understanding between the prosecution and the defence wherein the convict consented to a custodial sentence with the forfeiture of all assets and money that are proceeds of the crime.”

http://www.nigerianwatch.com/news/1221-abuja-high-court-lets-police-pension-convict-off-with-p3000-fine