James Ojo,Abuja
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has dragged the Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Dr. Cosmos Chukwudi Ndukwe, to court for corrupt enrichment.
Ndukwe, who was arraigned before Justice C.C. Thomas Adiele at the Abia State High Court, Umuahia, allegedly used his position as a public officer for self-gratification and corrupt enrichment to the tune of N54,610,000.
Spokesperson of the ICPC, Rasheedat Okoduwa, stated that the accused person, alongside his company, Messrs Conk Productions Nigeria Limited, and his agent, Chijioke Okonkwo, were being sued in an eight-count charge bordering on gratification and abuse of office.
Ndukwe allegedly used his position as the managing director/chief executive officer of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, between February 2007 and April 2012, to confer corrupt advantage upon himself, by accepting the sum of N5,850,000, purportedly as a loan from Messrs. Ancoold Nigeria Limited, a contractor with the agency where he had served as an official, an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
In addition, the defendant and his company, Messrs Conk Productions Nigeria Limited, were alleged to have received gratification to the tune of N42,750,000 in various monthly installments between March 2009 and January 2010.
He was also alleged to have corruptly accepted for himself N5,000,000 through an agent, Okonkwo, as reward for assisting Ancoold Nigeria Limited to secure prompt payment of the contract fees for the provision of environmental sanitation services to the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency.
Ndukwe and Okonkwo were also alleged to have conspired to conceal the gratification by depositing the said sum in the account of Conk Productions, under various names, an offence that is contrary to Section 26(1)(c) and punishable under Section 24 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges and the defence counsel tendered a formal bail application for them.
The prosecuting counsel, Ephraim Otti, did not raise any objection because the offences were bailable.
Justice Adiele granted bail to each of them in the sum of N1 million and one surety each in like sum, who should show evidence of means, tax payment, residential address within Aba and Umuahia, and the address verified by the registrar of the court.
The judge gave them seven days to perfect their bail conditions.
The case was adjourned to June 3, 4, and 5, 2019, for definite hearing.