Veterinary Council Fraud: Registrar, 2 others Get Bail

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Justice Abubakar Mohammed Talba of an Abuja High Court on Tuesday granted bail to the Registrar of Veterinary Council of Nigeria and two others standing trial with him over an alleged misappropriation of funds belonging to the council.

The accused persons were standing trial before the court for allegedly misappropriating the sum of N90.76 million belonging to the Council.

They allegedly conspired and frittered away the funds belonging to the council.

In granting them bail, the judge noted that the accused persons had earlier been granted bail by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in 2008 when the anti-graft agency first investigated the alleged crimes whose terms the accused persons faithfully observed without any breach.

He granted them bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in like sum.

One of the sureties is to depose to an affidavit of means while the other is to produce a title document to a landed property which must be endorsed by the FCT Minister.

Alternatively, the court ordered that the sureties can be civil servants not below the grade level 15 in the civil service.

While moving their bail applications, counsel to the accused persons, Mr. Ladan Babakogond, Mr. Cosmas Okpara and Mr. Halem  Ramneb representing Dr. Daniel Maddo, Dr. Hilary Ibeh and Mr. Alexander Abafi respectively, had argued that the offences for which their clients were standing trial are ordinarily bailable and urged the court to exercise its discretion in their favour.

The arraignment of the public servants followed a 2-year pressure mounted on EFCC by a self-styled anti-corruption activist, Mr. Emmanuel Ebirim, who uncovered the looting of the Council Funds by the officials and wrote several petitions to the anti-graft agency.

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EFCC acted on these petitions and investigated the operations of the officials in the course of their duties at the council and had no difficulty confirming some of the allegations contained in the petitions.

Dr. Maddo and the other accused persons were alleged to have conspired, sometime between December 2008 and December 2009, to have dishonestly misappropriated to their own use, the sum of N74.3 million out of the sum of N90.7 million, funds of the Veterinary council, entrusted in their care for the settlement of personnel costs of the employees of the council, an offence said to be punishable under section 315 of the penal code Act, CAP 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990.

They were also alleged to have conspired to convert the sum of N7.6 million meant for the payment of promotion arrears of the employees of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria.

Their trial was subsequently fixed for 20 June 2011.

—Nnamdi Felix / Abuja

Veterinary Council Fraud: Registrar, 2 others Get Bail

Justice Abubakar Mohammed Talba of an Abuja High Court on Tuesday granted bail to the Registrar of Veterinary Council of Nigeria and two others standing trial with him over an alleged misappropriation of funds belonging to the council.
The accused persons were standing trial before the court for allegedly misappropriating the sum of N90.76 million belonging to the Council.
They allegedly conspired and frittered away the funds belonging to the council.
In granting them bail, the judge noted that the accused persons had earlier been granted bail by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in 2008 when the anti-graft agency first investigated the alleged crimes whose terms the accused persons faithfully observed without any breach.
He granted them bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in like sum.
One of the sureties is to depose to an affidavit of means while the other is to produce a title document to a landed property which must be endorsed by the FCT Minister.
Alternatively, the court ordered that the sureties can be civil servants not below the grade level 15 in the civil service.
While moving their bail applications, counsel to the accused persons, Mr. Ladan Babakogond, Mr. Cosmas Okpara and Mr. Halem  Ramneb representing Dr. Daniel Maddo, Dr. Hilary Ibeh and Mr. Alexander Abafi respectively, had argued that the offences for which their clients were standing trial are ordinarily bailable and urged the court to exercise its discretion in their favour.
The arraignment of the public servants followed a 2-year pressure mounted on EFCC by a self-styled anti-corruption activist, Mr. Emmanuel Ebirim, who uncovered the looting of the Council Funds by the officials and wrote several petitions to the anti-graft agency.
EFCC acted on these petitions and investigated the operations of the officials in the course of their duties at the council and had no difficulty confirming some of the allegations contained in the petitions.
Dr. Maddo and the other accused persons were alleged to have conspired, sometime between December 2008 and December 2009, to have dishonestly misappropriated to their own use, the sum of N74.3 million out of the sum of N90.7 million, funds of the Veterinary council, entrusted in their care for the settlement of personnel costs of the employees of the council, an offence said to be punishable under section 315 of the penal code Act, CAP 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990.
They were also alleged to have conspired to convert the sum of N7.6 million meant for the payment of promotion arrears of the employees of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria.
Their trial was subsequently fixed for 20 June 2011.

—Nnamdi Felix / Abuja

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