EFCC charges NBA president with alleged N1.4bn fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has charged the president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Paul Usoro, with an alleged fraud of N1.4 billion.

Usoro was charged before the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday.

The charge sheet, marked FHC/418c/18, was filed before Justice Muslim Hassan.

The judge has fixed December 10, 2018 for the arraignment of the NBA president.

In the charge, sighted by our correspondent, the EFCC claimed that Usoro converted and laundered the money in connivance with the governor of his state, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State.

Emmanuel was however not listed as a defendant in the charge as the EFCC indicated that “he is currently constitutionally immune against criminal prosecution”.

Also charged were Nsikan Nkan, Commissioner for Finance, Akwa Ibom State; Mfon Udomah, the states’s Accountant General; Uwemedimo Nwoko, the state’s Attorney General and Margaret Ukpe, all of whom were said to be at large.

The EFCC claimed that Usoro and others mentioned, conspired to commit the offence sometime in 2015 “within the jurisdiction of this honourable court”.

The anti-graft agency claimed that the N1.4bn allegedly converted and laundered by the defendants belonged to the Akwa Ibom State Government.

Counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, who signed the charge sheet, said the offence allegedly committed by the NBA president was contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.