A
former Head of Service of the Federation (HOS), Mr. Steve Oronsaye, was
on Friday charged before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja over his
alleged involvement in N1.2 billion graft while he held sway as head of
the civil service.
In the charge filed before the court,
Oronsaye, alongside two other persons, Osarenkhoe Afe and Frederick
Hamilton, as well as Global Services Limited, allegedly siphoned at
least N1.2 billion from the federal treasury during his tenure as head
of the civil service.
The Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which filed 24-count charges
bordering on money laundering and corruption against them, also alleged
that one of the accomplices in the alleged crime, Abdulrasheed Abdullahi
Maina, who is now at large, all connived to commit procurement fraud in
the biometric enrolment job purportedly awarded to Innovative Solutions
Limited without following due process.
The case has been assigned to Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Oronsaye,
who was arrested by the anti-graft agency on Wednesday on allegations
of corruption, ran into fresh trouble when new allegations emerged that
he was engaged in theft and money laundering.
The commission had granted him administrative bail and ordered him to report for further interrogation Friday.
After hours of rigorous questioning by top officials of the commission, the 24-count charges were drawn up against him.
It
was gathered that Oronsaye and other top directors of the civil service
allegedly colluded to defraud the nation of N6.2 billion pension fund
through a maze of bogus contracts meant for biometric enrolment and
payment for computer accessories that were never supplied.
Oronsaye, 64, was appointed the Head of the Nigerian Civil Service in 2009.
The
accused persons, who are still being held at an EFCC detention facility
in Abuja, will be arraigned in court by the anti-graft agency on
Monday.
Credit: Sunday Ejike/Nigerian Tribune
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