Abuja civil servant arraigns for N135m fraud

A civil servant with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Umar Isa Gachi, has been arraigned for offences bordering on money laundering and making false returns totalling N135 million.

Gachi, an accounting officer deployed to Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, was arraigned on a four-count charge before Justice Iyang E. Ekwo of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court 5 sitting in Maitama, Abuja.

He is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

In a charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/172/2022 filed before the trial court, ICPC alleged that the defendant received the total sum of N135 million as impress for the rehabilitation of certain public works in the Federal Capital Territory.

The commission further informed the court of how the defendant used fake receipts for the retirement of the works he claimed to have been done which include repair of streetlights, distilling of drainages amongst others.

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Count 4 reads: “That you Umar Isah Gachi (M) sometime in March, 2014 or thereabout at Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court knowingly furnished false returns of retirement of the sum of N40 million only for the replacement of street lights at Asokoro District of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja which fund you received from a bank account (No. 5030030015) into your bank account (No. 6051999273), when you knew the said fund was not used for the purpose for which it was released and thereby committed an offence contrary and punishable under Section 16 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000”.

Demola Bakare, the Acting Director, Public Enlightenment and Education/

Spokesperson for the Commission, the offences are contrary to, and punishable under Section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, and sections 16 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

Bakare said the accused pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to him for his plea.

According to him, trial began on 15th November 2022 and the ICPC through its counsel, Dr. Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha, called two witnesses in proof of the allegations case and closed its case.

Thereafter the defendant entered his defence and closed his case on the 8th day of May 2024.

The trial court adjourned the matter to the 24th of June 2024 for adoption of written addresses of parties.

The Star