A Federal High Court in Akwa Ibom State has sentenced the governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) Bassey Albert to 42 years in prison for fraud.The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in 2019 arraigned Albert on a six-count charge of allegedly taking possession of six vehicles worth N204 million when he was finance commissioner in the state.
He was said to have collected one of the vehicles from Jide Omokore, an associate of Diezani Alison Madueke, a former minister of petroleum. Omokore reportedly had dealings with the state when he offered Bassey the vehicle.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, the Presiding Judge Agatha Okeke found the Senator guilty of the offences. Consequently, he was sentenced to Ikot Ekpene Correctional Centre to serve his jail term.Albert, a serving Senator representing Akwa Ibom northeast district, was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).He, however, defected to the YPP in July where he secured the party’s ticket for the 2023 governorship election.
