Embattled former Head of Service of the Federation, Mr Steve Oronsaye headache may not be over as the Federal Government yesterday filed fresh charges against him and five others before a federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
The Federal Government through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had earlier filed a 24-count charge against the former head of service, HoS and two other defendants over alleged fraud and money laundering offences involving N1.2bn.
But at the resumption of hearing yesterday, the prosecution counsel, Mr. Adebisi Adeniyi, informed the trial judge, Gabriel Kolawole, that he had filed an amended charge and sought an adjournment to serve the charge on the three new co-defendants who have been included in the fresh charge.
With the filing of the amended charge, the initial 24-count charge has jumped to 35-count, while the number of defendants increased from three to six.
The amended charge dated November 2, has the following defendants: Stephen Oronsaye (1st), Osarenkhoe Afe (2nd), Global Services Limited (3rd), Cluster Logistics Limited (4th), Kangolo Dynamic Cleaning Limited (5th) and Drew Investment and Construction Company Limited.
Opposing the process of filing the amended charge, Oronsaye’s lawyer, Mr. Kola Okeaya-Inneh (SAN) was of the view that the prosecution “cannot file an amended charge without a prior formal application to do so.’’
Ruling on the application, Justice Kolawole said the prosecution could bring an amended charge at the stage of the proceedings without the need to file any formal application for leave of court to do so.
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He, however, criticised the prosecution’s sudden realisation that it needed to file an amended charge when it was less than 24 hours to the date that had been fixed for the commencement of trial.
Consequently, Kolawole adjourned the matter till November 25 to enable the prosecution serve the fresh charges on the new co-defendants for them to take their pleas.
It would be recalled that Oronsaye and the initial two accused persons all pleaded not guilty to the 24-count charge preferred against them when they appeared in July before Justice Kolawole.
Shortly after their arraignment, the judge released them to go home pending the hearing of their bail application scheduled for July 21.
But the judge ordered that their release be effective upon filing a written undertaking by the defence counsel within 48 hours and an assurance to produce the accused persons in court at the next hearing date.
The accused persons allegedly collaborated in defrauding the Federal Government to the tune of N118,992,201 under the guise of paying the money in tranches for the contract of biometric data capture project between March 2010 and December 2011.
The fraud was allegedly perpetrated through the award and payment for fake contracts to nine companies including, Innovative Solutions, Fredrick Hamilton Global Services, Xangee Technologies Limited, Fatideck Ventures, Obalando Nigeria Enterprises, Moshfad Enterprises and Fesbee Global Resources Limited.
Other companies through which the accused persons allegedly siphoned the money from the Federal Government included Jolance Integrated Concept Limited and MOF Investment Limited.
One other person, who was allegedly involved in the fraud, Abdulrasheed Maina, was said to be on the run.
