Timipre Sylva |
A legal matter
which holds the potential to embarrass the incoming administration of Muhammadu
Buhari resumes tomorrow at the Federal High Court, Abuja, involving a former
governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva.
Sylva, a bitter
political opponent of President Goodluck Jonathan, is co-chairman of the
Presidential Inauguration Planning Committee with the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim
He is accused of
stealing N19.2billion from the state treasury while he was the
governor between 2007 and 2011.
The former Bayelsa chief
executive was docked by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
alongside others in July 2014, for allegedly using
three companies to siphon
funds from the state treasury between 2009 and 2012.
The companies are Marlin
Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween- Blue
Construction and Logistics Limited.
But Sylva, who mounted the
dock with one of his alleged accomplices, Gbenga Balogun, could not enter
his plea at that time due to the absence of two other co-accused personss:
Francis Okokuro and Samuel Ogbuku.
Consequently, the prosecuting
counsel, Mr. Adegbite Adeniyi, urged the court to issue a bench warrant against
them.
That application was
vehemently opposed by Sylva’s lawyer, Isreal Olorundare, who insisted that the
court must first determine the competence of his motion challenging the
42-count criminal charge preferred against his client by the EFCC, as well as
the legal standing of the lead prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, to handle
the matter.
Presiding, Justice A Y
Mohammed ordered that a criminal summon should be issued against the absentee
accused persons.
“As far as this court is
concerned, there is a charge brought against the accused persons and they are
expected to be in court at all times. There is no such position of the law
known to this court that an accused person who is challenging the process
before the court or jurisdiction should not appear in court”.
It is unclear how Mr. Sylva will harmonize his high-profile image and responsibilities with the presidential inauguration team in one side of Abuja with his trial for fraud in court in another; or how his legal troubles will impact on the image of the incoming administration.
It is unclear how Mr. Sylva will harmonize his high-profile image and responsibilities with the presidential inauguration team in one side of Abuja with his trial for fraud in court in another; or how his legal troubles will impact on the image of the incoming administration.
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