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| Timipre Sylva, former governor of Bayelsa State |
According to a statement issued by Wilson Uwujaren, Head, Media and
Publicity at EFCC, Sylva is charged alongside Francis Okokuro, Gbenga
Balogun, and Samuel Ogbuku,. They allegedly used three companies –
Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and
Haloween-Blue Construction and Logistics Limited to move about N19.2
billion from Bayelsa State coffers between 2009 and 2012, under false
pretence of using the withdrawn money to augment salaries of the state
government workers.
The action of the anti-graft agency comes two days after Justice A.
R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court dismissed the 42- count charge of
stealing brought against Sylva and his co-accused by the EFCC, with the
excuse that the prosecution’s application to consolidate the charges
against the defendants amounted to an abuse of court process.
The Commission faulted the ruling on the ground that it was premature
as the accused persons had not taken any plea before the court.
The action of the trail judge stalled the move by the anti-graft
agency to consolidate the charges against the former governor having,
days earlier, withdrawn similar charges pending before Justice E.S.
Chukwu of the same court.
The anti-graft agency awaits the assignment of the case, to pave way for the arraignment of Sylva and others.
source: www.uncova.com
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