Sylva to Appear in Court tomorrow over alleged 6.5 billion Naira Fraud

ABUJA —Tomorrow will be another memorable day in the life of the embattled former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, as he will be appearing before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja in relation to a six-count criminal charge leveled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in suit it filed on the 24th of February 2012, accusing the former governor of stealing over 6.5 billion naira from the state pause while still in office, indicating the time of the fraud to have been carried out between October, 2009 and February, 2010 Due to the allegation that the erstwhile governor was frustrating the effort of the court by not allowing the court order to get to him, the trial court decided on April 2, granted EFCC leave to paste the court order in front of Sylva’s gate in Abuja . The court had equally asked Sylva to appear before it tomorrow or been declared wanted. Meantime, contrary to the claim made by the EFCC that Sylva was the run, the former governor had expressed his readiness to appear before the trial court tomorrow, stating that he was never on the run. In a statement credited to his media aide, Mr Doifie Ola, on April 11, Sylva had declared that he cannot be tied down to one particular place, considering his status as a private individual since his removal from office by the Apex bank. The statement reads, “with respect to insinuations in sections of the media on the whereabouts of Chief Timipre Sylva, especially since the Abuja High Court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) leave to paste its summons on the gate of his Abuja residence, we wish to clarify that Sylva is not on the run. “He is not a fugitive from justice. Since January 27 when the Supreme Court removed him as Governor of Bayelsa State, Sylva has been a private citizen. As a private citizen, he has the right to move freely to wherever he wishes. It is surprising how his whereabouts had become a subject of conjecture and controversy. “Sylva is a firm believer in the law and has been at the forefront of efforts to etch respect for law, rules and regulations on the national conscience. “To set the record straight, Sylva has decided to keep a low profile because he does not want his security to be compromised. The whole world has been living witness to the brazen disrespect for our laws which those charged with the maintenance of law and order in the land have exhibited since the outbreak of their riotous governorship adventure in Bayelsa State. If those we all should rely on for our security could so blatantly run riot on our laws and liberties, it is not hard to determine the extent they can go against the one they have openly declared the target of all their illicit manoeuvres in the state. “The charges brought against Sylva by EFCC are not new. They are charges for which some former and serving officials of the Bayelsa State Government have already been standing trial since April 2010. “What the EFCC has done is to simply add Sylva’s name. Specifically, the suit brought against Sylva by the EFCC involves N2.45 billion Bayelsa State funds, not N6.450 billion as a section of the media has reported. This is because charges one, five and six refer to the same money. This is government money used for government business. Since 2010 when the matter went to court, no evidence has been produced by the prosecution to support the claim of money laundering and other financial crimes against any of the defendants. “The last time we checked, no agency of the law has extended any invitation to Sylva, which he did not honour. As far as we know, he has not been declared wanted by any authority, local or international. “Sylva is a believer and advocate of the rule of law. He is, as usual, undaunted and will face the current onslaught squarely. Sylva will take the necessary legal steps to discharge the present canards. We are happy that the Abuja High Court has fixed May 8, 2012 for Sylva to have his day in court. Our laws are clear that any accused person is innocent until proved guilty.” On the other hand, the charge against the ex-governor reads: “That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, sometime between October, 2009 and February, 2010, at various places in Nigeria, including Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court did conspire to commit a crime to wit: conversion of properties and resources amounting to N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion Naira) belonging to Bayelsa State Government and derived from an illegal act, with the aim of concealing the illicit origin of the said amount and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act), 2004 and punishable under Section 14(1) of the same Act. “That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the 22nd of January, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N380,000,000.00 (Three Hundred and Eighty Million Naira), property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one Habibu Sani Maigidia, a Bureau De Change Operator with Account No. 221433478108, in Fin Bank, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act. “That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the 5th of February, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira), property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one Enson Benmer Limited with Account No. 6152030001946, in First Bank, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act. “That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the 5th of February, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million Naira), property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one John Daukoru with Account No. 04800250000418, in United Bank for Africa, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act. “That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, sometime between October, 2009 and February, 2010, at various places in Nigeria, including Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court did conspire to commit a crime to wit: inducing Union Bank, Plc, with the intent to defraud, to deliver to Bayelsa State Government the sum of N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion Naira), under the false pretence of using the amount to augment salaries of the Bayelsa State Government and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) and punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2004. “That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, sometime between October, 2009 and February, 2010, at various places in Nigeria, including Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court induced Union Bank, Plc, with the intent to defraud, to grant an overdraft facility of the sum of N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion Naira) to the Bayelsa State Government under the false pretence of using the amount to augment salaries of the Bayelsa State Government and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2004 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act. However, Sylva will be appearing in court tomorrow to defend all the charges leveled against him.