419: Oronsaye To Be Arraigned March 15
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will on Tuesday, March 15, 2015 arraign Mr, Stephen Oronsaye, a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, HoS, before Justice O. O Goodluck of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja on fresh two counts of corruption and obtaining by false pretence.
The fresh charge followed the completion of investigation by the anti- graft agency on evidence that the former top bureaucrat allegedly abused his position as chair of the Presidential Committee on the Financial Action Task Force to fraudulently obtain a total sum of N190million, being part of the N240m grant which the Committee received from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The grant, investigation revealed, was allegedly paid into an account in Access Bank operated by Oronsaye without the knowledge of other Committee members and he proceeded to invest the funds for personal gains.
The charge reads, “ Stephen Oronsaye a.k.a. Mr Steve Oronsaye on or about 12th June, 2013 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory whilst being the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force and in such capacity entrusted with certain property to wit: the sum of N90,000,000.00 ( Ninety Million Naira) committed Breach of Trust in respect of the said sum by converting it to your personal use through the investment of the said sum of N90,000,000.00 in Access Bank Plc’s Bankers Acceptance for a tenor of 90 days at 9.0% interest rate in violation of the extant financial regulations
“ Stephen Oronsaye a.k.a. Mr Steve Oronsaye on or about 30th December, 2014 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory whilst being the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force and in such capacity entrusted with certain property to wit: the sum of N100,000,000.00 ( One Hundred Million Naira) committed Breach of Trust in respect of the said sum by converting it to your personal use through the investment of the said sum of N90,000,000.00 in Access Bank Plc’s Bankers Acceptance for a tenor of 90 days at 12.0% interest rate each in violation of the extant financial regulations”.
This new charge is different in all material particular from the existing charge for which Oronsaye, Osarenkhoe Afe, and their accomplices are being prosecuted before the Federal High court, Abuja on 35- count of fraud and money laundering involving N2billion.
In this charge, Oronsaye and his co-accused, are alleged to have been complicit in several contract awards during his tenure as HoS, using two companies – Federick Hamilton Global Services Limited, and Xangee Technologies Limited, for shady biometrics enrollment deals to the tune of N2 billion.
In one of the counts in the amended charge dated November 2, 2015, Oronsaye is alleged to have in connivance with Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina (now at large), Osarenkhoe Afe and Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited in July 2010 “in disguising genuine nature of the sum of N161,472,000 derived from an illegal act to wit conducting procurement fraud by means of fraudulent and corrupt act on the contract extension of biometric enrolment purportedly awarded to Innovative Solutions Limited by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, without following due process, an offence punishable under Section 14 (1) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004”.
Cluster Logistic Limited and Kangolo Dynamic Cleaning Limited, were also alleged to have connived with Maina (alias Abdullahi A. Faizal now at large) in February 2014 to “transfer the sum of N33,800,000 to West Waves Bureau De Change from the account of Cluster Logistic Limited maintained by Maina”.
The case before the Federal High Court has no bearing on the new information filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court and therefore, puts a lie to the invidious insinuation by a section of the online media that the former HoS was a victim of persecution by the EFCC.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
12th March, 2016