BEVERLY HILLS, September 21, (THEWILL) – Ibrahim Abdulsalam, former Managing Director/Chief Executive of the of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) will resume his trial at the Federal High Court, Lagos, on November 8.
THEWILL recalls that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Abdulsalam and others on April 7 for allegedly stealing N2.8billion.
He was arraigned along with Nnamdi Udoh (said to still at large), Adegorite Olumuyiwa, Agbolade Segun, Clara Aliche, Joy Ayodele Adegorite, Randville Invesment Ltd and Multeng Travels and Tours Ltd on 21 counts charge.
However, the trial was stalled on Wednesday due to the absence of Justice Babs Kuewunmi, who is attending a conference in Abuja as part of the court’s new legal year program.
The EFCC had accused the defendants of conspiring amongst themselves to induce NAMA to deliver the sum of N2, 847,523,975.00 to Delosa Ltd, Air Sea Delivery Ltd and Sea Schedules Systems Ltd under the pretence that the money represented the cost of clearing NAMA’s consignments.
EFCC said they paid the firm N274, 021,452.00 between January 31 and April 15, 2013; and between August 19 and December 31, 2013, they paid it N151, 136,320 contrary to section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3).
It added that the defendants also paid the firm N403, 485,057.70 between January 15 and December 17, 2014, as well as N285, 906,834.10 between January 14 and September 16, 2015.
Air Sea Delivery Ltd was paid the sum of N409,010,344.70 under the guise that it represented the cost of clearing NAMA’s goods with another payment of N230, 585,636.20 between January 14 and September 16.
Sea Schedules System Ltd, got N227, 634,567.20 between September 11 and December 15, 2014 under the pretence that it cleared NAMA’s consignments, and between January 14 and September 3, the defendants paid Sea Schedules the sum of N314,378,212.80.
The defendants were also accused of conspiring on January 2, 2013 to convert N858,507, 609.56, property of NAMA, and converted N191, 616,651.56 belonging to NAMA to themselves between January 2 and December 17, 2013 contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.
Story by David Oputah
