The president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN) has been charged to court on allegations of fraud to the tune of N1.4bn by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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Usoro was charged before Justice Muslim Hassan of the Federal High Court in Lagos who has fixed December 10, 2018 for the arraignment of the accused.
In the charge sheet, marked FHC/418c/18 the EFCC alleged that Usoro converted and laundered the said sum of money in connivance with Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State where he hails from.
The EFCC did not list the Akwa Ibom state governor as a defendant saying the Governor is currently immune to criminal prosecution by provisions of the constitution.
Also mentioned in the body of the charges were Nsikan Nkan, the Commissioner for Finance, Akwa Ibom State; Mfon Udomah, the Accountant General of Akwa Ibom State; Uwemedimo Nwoko, the Akwa Ibom State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice; and Margaret Ukpe, all of whom were said to be at large.
The EFCC also alleged that the NBA President connived with the other defendants to commit the offence sometime in 2015 within the jurisdiction of the court.
The anti-graft agency alleged further that the N1.4bn allegedly converted and laundered by the defendants belonged to the Akwa Ibom State Government.
Counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, who signed the charge sheet, said in the charge sheet that the offence allegedly committed by the NBA President was contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
He added that the SAN is liable to be punished under Section 15(3) of the same Act.