N6.8B NAMA Fraud: Court adjourns hearing due to absence of prosecutor

Trial of former Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Ibrahim Abdulsalam and six others charged for allegedly stealing N6.8B belonging to the agency has been adjourned till December 2, 2016 by a Federal High Court on Tuesday.

The case which was first adjourned to November 8, 9 and 10 was further adjourned till December 2 following the absence of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo in court.

The EFCC on April 7 arraigned the former NAMA managing director Abdulsalam alongside one Agbolade Segun, Clara Aliche, and before Justice Babs Kuewumi.

Also arraigned for the alleged fraud are two Ltd Liability companies Randville investment Ltd and Multeng Travels and Tours Ltd.

The anti-graft agency accused them of converting the said money belonging to NAMA for personal use.

All the accused persons however pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail in the sum of N20m each by the court.

Oyedepo was said to have written the court that he will be at the Appeal court for another matter and the trial judge, Justice Kuewumi, fixed the new date for the case.

One of the charges reads: “You, Ibrahim Abdulsalam, Nnamdi Udoh (still at large) Agbolade Segun, Clara Aliche, Joy Ayodele, Randville Investment Limited and Multeng Travels and Tours Limited, on or about the 19th day of August, 2013 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this  Honourable Court, with intent to defraud conspired amongst yourselves to induce the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to deliver the sum of N2,847,523,975.00 (Two Billion, Eight Hundred and Forty Seven Million, Five Hundred and Twenty Three Thousand, Nine Hundred and Seventy Five Naira) to Delosa Limited, Air Sea Delivery Limited and Sea Schedules Systems Limited under the pretense that the said sum represented the cost of clearing consignments belonging to the said Agency and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1 (3) of the same Act”.

Culled from Nigerian Flight Deck