The former Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Reng Ochekpe will come up later this month Feb 13th 2018 for corruption charges against leveled her.
Sarah Ochekpe was arraigned to court by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a N450 million bribe she
allegedly received from Diezani Alison-Madueke, former Minister of
Petroleum Resources.
She was previously arraigned in Gombe on water related charges.
Ochekpe and two other accused persons were arraigned earlier this month 22nd
Jan 2018 before Justice H. M. Kurya of the Jos division of the Federal
High Court, on two-count charge bordering on money laundering.
The two others, Leo Sunday Jitong and Raymond Dabo, were the State
Deputy Director for Goodluck/Sambo 2015 election campaign and former
Acting Chairman of PDP, Plateau State, respectively.
According to the EFCC, the defendants were alleged to have received
the sum of N450 million out of N23 billion deployed by Alison-Madueke to
influence the 2015 presidential election.
“Investigations showed that after receiving the money in their
custody, the headquarters of Fidelity Bank Plc used its state branches
to channel the distribution of the election loot through CBN to
individual states of the Federation,” read a statement signed by Samin
Amaddin, EFCC’s Acting Head of Media and Publicity.
One of the charges read: “That you, Sarah Ringim Ochekpe, Evan Leo
Sunday Jitong, Raymond Dabo and Mrs Diezani Alison Madueke (now at
large) sometimes in March, 2015 at Jos, Plateau State of Nigeria within
the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without going through the
Financial Institution, did conspire amongst yourselves to accept cash
payment of the sum of Four Hundred and Fifty Million Naira
(N450,000,000.00) from MRS. DIEZANI ALISON MADUEKE through Fidelity Bank
Plc which sum exceeded the amount authorised by Law and thereby
committed an offence contrary to the provisions of Section 18 (a),
Section 16 (1) (d) of the Money Laundering (prohibition) Act 2012 (as
amended) and Punishable under Section 16 (2) (b) of the same Act.”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The presiding judge granted the bail on self-recognition, but added
that the bail bond must be countersigned by the defence counsel.
He subsequently adjourned the case to February 13th and 14th for hearing.