EFCC Arraigns Civil Servant for Alleged N1b Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, November 5, 2020, arraigned the chairman of the Federal Civil Service Staff with Disabilities’ Cooperative Society, Alhaji Iliasu Abdulrauf, for alleged N1, 126,156,000.00 (One Billion, One Hundred and Twenty-six Million, One Hundred and Fifty-six Thousand Naira) fraud.

Abdulrauf was docked before Justice S.C Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja, on a six-count charge of breach of trust.

Count one of the charges read: “That you Alhaji Iliasu Abdulrauf being the Chairman Federal Civil Service Staff with Disabilities Cooperative Society, sometimes between November 2017 to February, 2018, in Abuja within the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, with intent to defraud, obtained the gross sum of N508, 528,000 (Five Hundred and Eight Million, Five Hundred and Twenty-eight Thousand Naira) only, via your personal account No. 2076821282, domiciled with UBA and World Trade Multipurpose Cooperative Society’s account No. 1012195580, domiciled with UBA, from the managing Director, Wanori Investment and Properties Ltd under the false pretence of awarding contracts to establish a Rehabilitation Centre for Persons With Disabilities, that the said MD of Wanori Investment and Properties Ltd was deceived to pay for corporate social responsibility and insurance bond to enable his company access mobilisation for the contract. These representations you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, prompting prosecution counsel, Steve Oduase, to ask the court for a trial date and prayed that he be remanded in prison custody, while the defence counsel pleaded with the court to grant him bail.

Justice Oriji admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N20 million with two sureties, one of which must be a Grade Level 14 civil servant in the Federal Civil Service while the other must be a responsible Nigerian citizen. The two sureties, the judge stated, shall be resident in FCT, Abuja with their residential addresses verified by the court registrar and the prosecuting counsel, adding that the defendant shall not travel out of the country without the permission of the court.

In the event of the defendant being unable to satisfy the bail conditions, he shall be remanded in EFCC custody. The matter was adjourned till December 15, 2020 and January 25, 2021, for the commencement of trial.