NIGERIA: Former Parliament Speaker Dimeji Bankole pleads not guilty to 16 counts of fraud

Record ID: 234509

  • Title: NIGERIA: Former Parliament Speaker Dimeji Bankole pleads not guilty to 16 counts of fraud
  • Date: 9th June 2011
  • Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (JUNE 8, 2011) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) DIMEJI BANKOLE FORMER SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT (IN WHITE HAT) IN COURT ROOM TALKING TO ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENCY OFFICIALS (IN RED VESTS) VARIOUS OF COURT ROOM / LAWYERS LOOKING THROUGH DOCUMENTS FESTUS KEYAMO, LAWYER REPRESENTING NIGERIA'S ANTI- CORRUPTION AGENCY LOOKING THROUGH PAPERS MEDIA TAKING PHOTOG
  • Embargoed: 24th June 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria, Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAA5LSI4OOE3DX1BWXN00EJF5LG
  • Story Text: Nigeria's former parliament speaker pleaded not guilty on Wednesday (June 08) to 16 counts of fraud, the first charges in a case involving the alleged diversion of tens of millions of dollars.
    Dimeji Bankole, one of the most powerful politicians in the last administration, appeared at a high court in the capital Abuja and spoke only to enter his plea.
    He was remanded in custody pending a bail hearing on Friday.
    Festus Keyamo, a lawyer representing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said the charges brought so far accuse Bankole of conspiring to inflate the cost of hundreds of television sets, computers, printers and photocopiers, and rigging the bid for two bullet-proof Range Rovers and three luxury Mercedes Benz cars.
    "The charges basically border on breaches of the provisions of the public procurement act, basically inflation of prices and the rigging of the procedure for public procurement. These are the charges. All the counts border around these two breaches," Keyamo said.
    The anti-corruption agency plans to file more charges in the coming days against Bankole, who ended his term as parliamentary speaker last week.
    "There are 16 counts for now but I made it known to the court that there are other areas of investigations that the commission is still looking at and that more charges will be brought," said Keyamo.
    The EFCC says the allegations include the misappropriation of 9 billion naira (60 million US dollars), the diversion of funds in a 2.3 billion (14.7 million US dollars) naira car-buying scheme, and taking a 10 billion naira (64.3 million US dollars) personal bank loan using parliament's account as collateral.
    Bankole was detained on Sunday at his residence by EFCC officers who said they feared he planned to flee the country.
    The case is seen as a test of the new government's resolve to fight endemic corruption in Africa's most populous nation.
    President Goodluck Jonathan, who was sworn in for his first full term in office at the end of May after winning elections a month earlier, has pledged to fight graft.
    The EFCC has arrested senior political figures in the past, including powerful former state governors whose cases have largely failed to end in prosecution.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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