An Edo state High Court, on Monday, remanded a former
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Simon Imuekeme, and three others in
prison custody and adjourned to March 14 for hearing of their bail application
in a criminal charge of misapplication of N113 million belonging to the state.
Others brought before Justice Esther Edigin of the state High Court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission are Joseph Sule Emoabino, David Eson Igbinoba and Agbator Gaskin
Efe.
They were docked on an 8-count charge that borders on
diversion of the sum of N113 million
allocated for a particular project to another project contrary to section 22(5)
of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and engaging in
criminal conspiracy to commit an offence contrary to section (26) (1) (c) of
the same Act.”
While Imuekeme was the state SSG, the other accused
persons served as chairman, secretary, director of Finance and Accounts respectively in the State
Universal Basic Education Board. They allegedly fraudulently diverted the said
sum to a project not covered by the intervention funds allocated by the State
Universal Basic Education Commission.
One of the charges reads, “that you Joseph Sule Emoabino,
David Eson Igbinoba, Aghator Gaskin Efe and Dr. Simon Imuekeme being chairman,
secretary, director of finance and accounts of State Universal Basic Education
Board, Edo State and secretary to government of Edo State respectively, on or
about the 5th of June, 2012 in Benin within the jurisdiction of Edo State High
Court, spent the sum of N16,853,242.58 (Sixteen Million, Eight Hundred and
Fifty Three Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty Two Naira, Fifty Eight Kobo) for
construction of a perimeter wall fence in Ivbiore Primary School Ugbor, a
project not covered by the intervention funds allocated by the State Universal
Basic Education Commission/state government and thereby committed an offence.”
When the charges were read to the accused persons, they all
pleaded not guilty.
In view of the plea of the accused persons, counsel to EFCC,
Aso Larry Peters asked the court to fix a date for trial. However, counsel to
the 1st and 4th accused persons, H. I. O Oshomah and O. A. Omonuwa (SAN) told
the court that they had filed applications for bail for their clients.
Attempt by counsel to the 4th accused to move for bail on
behalf of his client was rejected by the judge who said she wanted to take all
the applications together. Also prayers by all the defence counsel to allow the
accused persons to continue on the administrative bail granted them by EFCC was
opposed by EFCC counsel on the grounds that the bail granted to the accused
persons by the Commission elapsed the moment they appeared before the court.
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