EFCC resumes N19.2bn fraud trial of Sylva

Timipre Sylva, former governor of Bayelsa state, will appear at the federal high court in Abuja on Tuesday to resume the trial of the alleged N19.2 billion money laundering instituted against him and his co-accused.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) levelled the charges against Sylva, Francis Okoburo, Gbenga Balogun and Samuel Ogbuku.

They were accused of using three companies – Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited and Haloween Blue Construction and Logistics Limited – to siphon funds from the state.

Sylva was facing a pending criminal charge, also filed by the EFCC at the Abuja court before the anti-graft agency filed fresh 42-count charge against him.

The commission said the new charge followed a fresh evidence of corruption in its investigations into the former governor’s activities while in office between 2009 and 2012.

In an attempt to get the trial quashed, they had challenged the competence of the charges and also asked the court to disqualify the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), from handling the case.

But Ahmed Mohammed, the presiding judge, declined to grant their request; and Sylva and his co-accused were docked in July 2014.

However, the absence of two accomplices stalled the trial, preventing Sylva, who mounted the dock with Balogun, from entering his plea.

Adegbite Adeniyi, the prosecuting counsel, had urged the court to issue a bench warrant against them.

But Isreal Olorundare, Sylva’s lawyer, opposed the application, insisting that the court must first determine the competence of his motion challenging the 42-count criminal charge preferred against his client by the EFCC.

In his ruling, Mohahmmed ordered that a criminal summon be issued against the absentees.

“As far as this court is concerned, there is a charge brought against the accused person and they are expected to be in court at all times,” he ruled.

“There is no such position of the law known to this court that an accused person who is challenging the process before the court or jurisdiction should not appear in court.”

Sylva succeeded President Goodluck Jonathan in 2007 but lost his re-election bid to incumbent Seriake Dickson after falling out with Jonathan.

He subsequently joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was in the forefront of the campaign against the PDP in the buildup to the 2015 general election.

He is co-chairing the presidential inauguration planning committee with Pius Anyim, secretary to the government of the federation.