A Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, today October 2nd discharged and acquitted former National Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Vincent Ogbulafor, of a N170m fraud charge brought against him in 2001 by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC).
Mr Ogbulafor who served as Minister of Special Duties in 2001 was alleged to have connived with one Mr Emeka Ebila, the then secretary of the National Economic Intelligence Committee, to defraud the Federal government of N170m through payments to contractors for jobs that were not done.
The National Economic Intelligence Committee, NEIC, was a body under Mr Ogbulafor's ministry set up for the verification and payment of debts owed to local contractors by the Federal Govt.
Delivering his judgement today, presiding judge, Justice Ishaq Bello said evidences brought before him showed Mr Ogbulafor had no connection with the fraudulent activities that went on at the NEIC. The judge went on to discharge Mr Ogbulafor and sentenced Mr Ebila, who came into court on a wheelchair to 5 years imprisonment. He said a confessional statement tendered before the court without any objection from his lawyer, was a corroboration of the allegations leveled against him by the ICPC.
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