Alleged N7.9bn Fraud: Court Shifts Oduah, CCECC Case To Nov 14

The Federal High Court in Abuja has shifted the trial of a former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) in an alleged N7.9Bn fraud till November 17. At the last adjourned date, the full-blown trial was fixed for Tuesday, October 17, however, the matter couldn’t push through for lack of time. Although lawyers to the Federal Government who initiated a 25- count criminal charges against Mrs Oduah and CCECC were in Court alongside those of the defendants, the principal defendant, Senator Oduah was not present in Court. Mrs Oduah and the China Construction giant are facing prosecution on alleged crimes of fraud, money laundering and bribery running into N7.9bn. In the 25-count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/316/2020, they were accused of conspiracy, money laundering and maintaining anonymous bank accounts with a commercial bank. Part of the charges are “That you China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation CCECC, between March 31 and April 1, 2014 at Abuja directly transferred N500M from your account No. 0023880295 with Guaranty Trust Bank to a private banking nominee account no.2024414450 domicile with First Bank which money you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceed of unlawful act to wit; fraud and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 and punishable under section 15 (4) of the same Act. “That you China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation CCECC, between March 5 and  May 30, 2014 at Abuja directly transferred N868.4 M from your account with Zenith Bank to a Private Banking Nominee account no.2024414450 domicile with First Bank which money you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceed of unlawful act to wit; fraud and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 and punishable under section 15 (4) of the same Act. “That you China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation CCECC, between  April 11 and 17, 2014  at Abuja directly transferred N537.2.M from your  bank account No.1011061486 with Zenith Bank to a Private Banking Nominee account no.2024414450 domicile with First Bank which money you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceed of unlawful act to wit; fraud and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 and punishable under section 15 (4) of the same Act. “That you, Stella Adaeze Oduah whilst being the Minister of Aviation, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Gloria Odita whilst being the Company Secretary to Sea Petroleum & Gas Company Ltd (SPGC) and an aide to the former Minister of Aviation, Nwobu Emmanuel Nnamdi, whilst being an employee of Sea Petroleum & Gas Company Ltd (SPGC) and an aide to the former Minister of Aviation, Chukwuma Irene Chinyere, Global Offshore And Marine Limited, Tiptop Global Resources Limited, Crystal Television Limited, Sobora International Limited between January 2014 and April 2014 at Abuja within the judicial division of this Honourable Court did conspire among yourselves to commit an offence to wit: ‘Money Laundering’ and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under Section 15(3) and (4) of the same Act”. “That you, Stella Adaeze Oduah whilst being the Minister of Aviation, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Global Offshore and Marine Ltd, a Limited Liability Company registered under the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on or about 12th February 2014 at Abuja within the Judicial Division of this Honourable Court took control of the sum of N1,629,250,000.00 (One Billion, Six Hundred and Twenty-Nine Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) only and paid into the account of Global Offshore and Marine Ltd account No. 2022977296 domiciled with First Bank Plc from I-Sec Security Nig. Ltd accounts No. 2021756955 with First Bank Plc, which money you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under Section 15(3) and (4) of the same Act. Specifically, CCECC is being made to face trial for allegedly bribing Federal Government officials to the tune of billion naira through alleged transfers from its numerous bank accounts to the accounts of beneficiaries of the graft to facilitate government patronage. Senator Oduah, on the other hand is being prosecuted for allegedly accepting money from CCECC while she held sway as Minister of Aviation. Based on Court order, the trial will be conducted by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice. The EFCC was ordered to step aside from the trial following its involvement in some unlawful means that stalled the case for more than two years. Senator Oduah and eight others had pleaded not guilty to the charges on Friday, July 21, 2023, when they were formally arraigned.

FG Decries CCECC’s Slow Pace Of Work On Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway

The Minister of Transportation, Sen. Saidu Alkali, has expressed disappointment over the slow pace of work on the reconstruction of the Eastern Railway Corridor by the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) Ltd. The minister made his feelings known at the weekend when he inspected the progress of work done on the reconstruction of Eastern railway corridor to Port-Harcourt, Rivers State. Alkali expressed sadness that between Port-Harcourt and Aba Section, only 47 per cent completion stage had been achieved, instead of achieving 47 per cent completion of the entire stretch from Port-Harcourt to Maiduguri. “If you cannot complete Port-Harcourt to Aba which is 63km in 12 months, how would you be able to complete over 2000km in 36 months?” Alkali expressed dismay on the use of manual alignment processes by the CCECC in laying the track in the 21st Century. According to him, in a project that is 85 per cent funded by the Chinese and 15 per cent by the Federal Government, it is only the 15 per cent fund provision by the Federal Government that financed the project so far. The minister said that he would go back to the ministry to look at what was doable within the ambit of the law and that whatever the law provided on the issues observed, he would enforce it. Alkali however, identified one of the striking benefits to be the linking up of the two Sea Ports in Port-Harcourt to Maiduguri as well as promotion of regional trading at a highly reduced cost. The minister assured the people of the zone that by the time the passenger train services commenced, it would go a long way in cushioning the effect of the petroleum subsidy removal on Nigerians that would make use of the train services. Briefing the Minister and his delegation, representative of the CCECC, Mr C. Ching, promised that the first section of the project which was from Port-Harcourt to Aba, would be delivered by December, 2023. The CCECC assured the minister that enough materials were on ground to meet the target date, adding that the project with a special kind of bolts and nuts that were ‘anti-theft’ had been introduced to make vandalism difficult. Onovo said the Consultant handling the project, Khairi and Jamub Global Services Limited as well as the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr Magdalene Ajani, Directors from the Ministry, the Managing Director, NRC, Fidet Okhiria and others attended the inspection. On March 10, 2021, the Federal Government began the $3 billion repair and reconstruction of the 1,443 kilometres Eastern Railway Line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. The railway, when completed, will link Rivers, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe and Borno States.