Oil subsidy fraud: Ex-PDP chair’s son, others re-arraigned

The Lagos State Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Friday, March 24, arraigned one Mamman Ali, son of a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ahmadu Ali, and one Christian Taylor, before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos for an alleged N2.2 billion oil subsidy fraud.

They were arraigned alongside Nasaman Oil Services Limited on an amended 49-count bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence, contrary to Section 8 and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006; obtaining money by false pretences, contrary to Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006; forgery, contrary to Section 363 (3)(j) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011; and use of false documents contrary to Section 364 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

The EFCC Director of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, revealed these on Friday night, in a statement obtained by our correspondent.

One of the counts read, “Nasaman Oil Services Ltd, Mamman Ali, Christian Taylor, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo (now at large) and Olabisi Abdul-Afeez (still at large), on or about November 9, 2011 at Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain the sum of N749,991,273.36 from the Federal Government of Nigeria by falsely claiming that the sum of N749,991,273.36 represented subsidy accruing to Nasaman Oil Services Ltd under the Petroleum Support Fund for the importation of 10,031,986 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, which Nasaman Oil Services Ltd purported to have purchased from SEATAC Petroleum Ltd of British Virgin Islands and imported into Nigeria through MT Liquid Fortune Ltd of British Virgin Islands and imported into Nigeria through MT Liquid Fortune Ltd Ex MT Overseas Lima, which representation you knew to be false.”

Another count read, “Nasaman Oil Services Ltd, Mamman Ali, Christian Taylor, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo (now at large) and Olabisi Abdul-Afeez (still at large), on or about April 11, 2011 at Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N1,480,074,125.61 from the Federal Government of Nigeria by claiming that the sum represented subsidy accruing to Nasaman Oil Services Ltd under the Petroleum Support Fund for the importation of 20,492,982.50 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, which Nasaman Oil Services Ltd purported to have purchased from SEATAC Petroleum Ltd of British Virgin Islands and imported into Nigeria through MT Liquid Fortune Ex Mt. Hellenic Blue and Ex MT. Milleura, which representation you knew to be false.”

Uwujaren noted that they both pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against them.

The PUNCH reports that they were initially standing trial before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja. However, Justice Onigbanjo withdrew from the case on health grounds, prompting the re-assignment of the case to Justice Dada.

Following their pleas on Friday, the prosecution counsel, S.K. Atteh, prayed the court for a trial date to enable the prosecution call its witnesses and tender necessary documents to prove the case against them.

The defence counsel, Kolade Obafemi, however, applied to the court to allow the defendants to continue to enjoy the bail already granted to them by Justice Onigbanjo.

“We crave your lordship’s indulgence that the existing bail granted to the defendants be allowed to continue,” he said.

In response, Atteh noted that what was most paramount for the prosecution was the attendance of the defendants to face trial.

He said, “Our interest is that the defendants attend trial; and so, we leave the decision to the discretion of this honourable court.”

The EFCC PRO noted that the defence counsel could not immediately present the bail papers of the defendants to the court, though he furnished the court with the earlier court rulings of Justice Onigbanjo with regard to the bail applications.

However, Justice Dada insisted on seeing the bail papers. In the instance, he ordered that the defendants be remanded at the EFCC custody till the bail papers are presented to the court and a formal application for the bail of the defendants is filed, while he adjourned the case till May 29 to 31, 2023 for trial.