Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosun (rtd) and two senior serving Air Force officers, Air Vice Marshal Adigun and Commodore Olugbenga have opted for plea bargain in their ongoing trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged corruption.
The accused and some Companies namely: Delfina Oil and Gas Limited, McAllan Oil and Gas Limited, Hebron Housing and Properties Company Limited, Trapezitrs Bureau De Change ((BDC), Fonds and Pricey Limited, Deegee Oil and Gas Limited, Timsegg Investment Limited, and Solomon Health Care Limited were charged before the court presided over by Justice Idris, on June 29 for the allegeoffence .
The accused persons were alleged to have converted N22.8 billions belonging to the Nigeria Air Force (NAF), to their personal use.
In one of the counts of the charge, the accused persons were alleged to have converted the sum of N21,467,634,707.43 billion, property of the Nigerian Air Force, which sum was derived from stealing, to their personal use.
They were alleged to have between May 5, 2014 and 4 May 4, 2015 in Lagos, indirectly converted the sum of N5, 291, 306, 950.28 Billion, property of the Nigerian Air Force.
They accused were also alleged to have between July 17, and September 16, 2014, used the British Pounds Sterling equivalent of the sum of N663, 443,291 million, removed from the accounts of the Nigerian Air Force to purchase two properties situated at 50-52 Tenterden Grove, London (NW41TH) and 93B Shirehall Park, London NW4 2QU, United Kingdom.
The offences according to the EFCC are contrary to sections 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012, and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charge.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Friday, the EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the court that the defendants had commenced a move to enter into a plea bargain with the federal government, and tendered a draft copy of the terms of the plea bargain to the court, which he said he had served on the defendants.
But the defence counsel, comprising Mr. Norrison Quakers (SAN), Mr. Kemi Balogun (SAN), Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN) and Mr. A. Etuokwu, raised objections to the presentation of the plea bargain, which they argued should be discussed when the report of compliance with the order of the court regarding the verification of the defendants’ bail conditions were met by the EFCC.
After heated arguments between counsels, Justice Idris, in a short ruling, ordered the EFCC to conclude the verification of the defendants’ bail conditions on or before Monday, July 11, 2016.
Justice Idris observed that the draft plea bargain revealed that negotiation was already ongoing between the state and the defendants and that the defendants had shown a “clear, positive and strong intention” to settle with the government and fixed September 12 and 13, 2016 for trial.
