8 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016
N676m job scam: Judge hands off Moro’s trial Says action based on personal reasons As court adjourns Metuh’s trial to May 16 By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
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BUJA— JUSTICE Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, disqualified herself from presiding over the trial of the erstwhile Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro. This came on a day Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting also in Abuja shifted the trial of embattled National Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, to May 16. Moro is facing trial before the court over alleged complicity in a N676 million job recruitment scam that led to the death of no fewer than 20 persons in 2014. Justice Chikere, who on May 3, okayed full-blown hearing on the matter, made a U-turn, saying she would no longer hear the case on personal grounds. “I am sending the case-file back to the Chief Judge for reassignment on personal reasons. When it gets reassigned, the parties can continue,” the judge stated after the case was called up for hearing. Nevertheless, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Aliyu Yusuf, notified the court that the charge pending against the exminister had been amended. Moro is answering to an 11count criminal charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, filed against him and two others. Those facing trial with him are former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior when the alleged fraud was committed, Mrs. Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia and a Deputy Director in the ministry, Mr. F. O Alayebami. They were charged alongside the firm contracted to conduct the botched March 15, 2014, National Immigration Service, NIS, recruitment exercise, Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd.
Court adjourns Metuh’s trial to May 16 Meanwhile, Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, shifted trial of the embattled National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh to May 16. The matter was adjourned to enable Metuh, who was said to have fallen off a swivel chair, Tuesday, to receive proper medical attention at the National Hospital, Abuja. The PDP spokesman is answering to a seven-count criminal charge the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him and his company, Destra Investment Limited. The defendants were alleged to have received N400 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, prior to the 2015 general elections. At the resumed sitting on the case yesterday, Metuh’s lead counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, told the court that his client was hospitalised at the intensive care unit of the National
Hospital in Abuja, even as he begged for the trial to be suspended for at least two weeks. “My Lord, we humbly apply for an adjournment to enable the first defendant, who is currently on intensive care, go for his medications. We had to compel him to be physically present in court this morning,” Ikpeazu submitted. Meanwhile, the application was not opposed by EFCC lawyer, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir.
“My Lord, the news is in the public domain that the first defendant is in intensive unit. We shall not be opposing the application,” Tahir stated. Consequently, Justice Abang adjourned the case till May 16 and 17. Before adjourning the case, Justice Abang ordered fraillooking Metuh, who was present in court, to stand on his feet. Though Metuh complied with the order, he, however, held his waist with both hands.
UNVEILING: From right: Mr. Muda Yusuf, Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI); Mr. Abdul-Ganiyu Sumaila, President, African Centre for Supply Chain (ACSC); Dr. Obiora Madu, Director General, ACSC and Mr. Taiwo Ajibola, representative of Managing Director, MDS Logistics, during the unveiling of the 2016 Industry Report of Nigerian Logistics and Supply Chain at the National Logistics Strategy Summit, in Lagos, yesterday.
Dumping of toxins: $6m Tidex legal deal initiated by Farida’s EFCC —Adoke By Soni Daniel
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BUJA—IMMEDIATE past Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, has said it was the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, under the leadership of Farida Waziri, that initiated the non-prosecution agreement with Tidex Nigeria Limited and not himself. According to Adoke, he only signed the deal after the negotiations and terms of agreement as the chief law officer of the federation, after the EFCC and the company had reached an agreement not to proceed with prosecution over alleged dumping of toxins in Nigeria. Under the deal reached, Tidex Nigeria Limited was asked to pay $6 million (N1.92 billion). But the current Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who appears unimpressed with how the deal was struck and executed, has given the EFCC the directive to probe the entire process and
where the huge sum was paid into and why $300,000, representing five percent of the legal fees, was taken by a private lawyer. However, Malami’s directive to the EFCC to probe the transaction has not gone down well with Adoke, who believes the whole idea was borne out of vendetta and witch-hunt. Adoke issued a strongly worded statement in Abuja, yesterday, and virtually cleared himself of any complicity in the deal, saying he had nothing to fear for doing his work in the overall interest of Nigeria as its AGF. In the statement made available to Vanguard, the former minister said all issues relating to the agreement, which was signed in 2011, were well within the public domain and were approved by the relevant government agencies as part of their duties to the nation. He said the petition against him was coming because of his refusal to allow his office as the AGF to be used by the Nigerian shareholders to settle personal disputes with their foreign
partners. Adoke said: “My answer is simply that the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation did not initiate these settlements. It was the EFCC, under the chairmanship of Farida Waziri, that initiated these settlements and nominated Mr. Godwin Obla as the lawyer to represent their interest in the negotiations that were conducted under the auspices of Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. “ It was when the negotiations were concluded to the satisfaction of all the parties, that I signed on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria and Mr. Emmanuel Akomoye (then, Secretary to the EFCC) signed on behalf of the EFCC. The copies of the agreements are in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and I believe with the EFCC as well. “This was the procedure that was adopted in respect of all the settlements that were initiated by the EFCC in 2011."
Oil hits 2016 high due to falling output, weaker dollar
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ONDON— OIL hit its highest level, yesterday, driven by a falling dollar and evidence of declining US supply, putting the price on course for its strongest monthly performance since last April. Brent crude futures were up $1.03 at $46.77 a barrel in early trading, having risen nearly 20 per cent in April, their largest one-month gain in a year. The international benchmark earlier hit a 2016 high of $46.81. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures also rose 86 cents to $44.90 a barrel. Brent received extra support from news that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait appear no closer to restarting their jointly operated Khafji oilfield, which produced 280,000 to 300,000 barrels per day The oilfield had been shut since October 2014 due to environmental problems. The prospect of an agreement among the world’s largest exporters to limit production evaporated almost two weeks ago when a meeting between OPEC members and their nonOPEC counterparts ended in a stalemate. Since then, Brent has hit its highest since November and, aided by further evidence of declining output anywhere from the US shale basin to the North Sea, attracted fresh investment cash. “There was definitely a bit of a turning point when we had the initial sell-off after the producer meeting,” CMC Markets strategist, Jasper Lawler said. “That got reversed and went on to show that (a production freeze) was a fairly small part of what had been supporting the price and really, it’s the supply outlook for the U.S. coupled with the dollar that is really driving returns,” he added. WTI was further bolstered after the American Petroleum Institute reported a draw of nearly 1.1 million barrels in US crude inventories last week. Analysts had expected a 2.4million-barrel build. The dollar was down on the day, having fallen about 5 per cent against a basket of currencies since the start of the year, even as U.S. interest rates are expected to rise. The Federal Reserve’s policysetting committee meets on Wednesday but is not expected to announce any change in rates, leaving traders to scour the postmeeting statement for any clues on the outlook.