FORMER Acting Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Anamekwe Nwabuoku, facing trial for alleged N1.96 billion fraud, has pleaded with the Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, to grant him time to negotiate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Nwabuoku, who is facing a nine-count charge, made the plea on Wednesday, February 26, after the EFCC lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho, a senior advocate, told the court that it brought five more witnesses to testify against him.
Through his lawyer, Isidore Udenko, Nwabuoku informed the court that he had hired a senior advocate to facilitate negotiation with the EFCC.
According to him, this development comes after the defendant’s initial attempt to reach an agreement with the EFCC failed, leading to the trial.
The EFCC’s lawyer, Iheanacho, expressed no opposition to the defendant’s request.
Consequently, the trial judge postponed the case, scheduling a future date to either receive a settlement report or continue the hearing.
Nwabuoku was appointed in May 2022 to temporarily oversee the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation after his predecessor, Ahmed Idris, was suspended and tried for allegedly laundering N80.2 billion in public funds.
However, shortly after his resumption, the EFCC alleged that he abused his office by stealing public funds.
EFCC investigations led to his removal from office in July 2022, just weeks after he took over.
Nwabuoku was subsequently charged with fraud alongside Felix Nweke, a director of the Federal Civil Service. However, Nweke later agreed to testify against Nwabuoku and was dropped as a co-defendant.
The EFCC alleged that Nwabuoku violated the Money Laundering Prohibition Act by using four companies to siphon off N1.96 billion in public funds.
Nweke testified that the stolen funds were channelled into bank accounts controlled by one Gideon Joseph, the sole signatory.
This is not the first time accused persons have pleaded with the EFCC to utilise plea bargaining or agreement in resolving fraud cases against them.
In several high-profile cases in the country, including those of former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tafa Balogun, former Bayelsa State governor Diepreye Alamieyesagha, and former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Iyiola Omisore, the plea bargain strategy was employed.
A plea bargain is a negotiated agreement between the prosecutor and the accused, where the accused pleads guilty to a charge in exchange for a reduced sentence.
The EFCC employs this approach to recover looted resources from criminals. However, critics argue that plea bargaining has led to lighter punishments for criminals and may inadvertently encourage corrupt practices.
For instance, the former Inspector-General of Police, Balogun, was initially charged with 70 counts of corruption, but the charges were reduced to 8 counts of money laundering after reaching an agreement with the court and EFCC. He was later convicted and jailed for only six months.
Others who received lesser punishment after a plea bargain include a former Managing Director (MD) of Oceanic Bank, Cecilia Ibru.
Ibru faced a 25-count charge but secured a plea bargain. The court convicted her on three counts and sentenced her to six months imprisonment. She also forfeited 94 properties and shares valued at N191.4 billion.
Also involved in the plea bargain is a former deputy governor of Osun State, Iyiola Omisore, who was accused of laundering money allegedly misappropriated by former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki. Omisore later entered a plea bargain with the EFCC to refund over N1.3 billion.
However, despite its benefits, the EFCC’s use of plea bargaining has raised concerns about the leniency of punishments and the potential for corrupt practices to persist.
A reporter with the ICIR
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