Former Benue Governor, Suswam charged to court, gets N100m bail

Reports say the former Benue Governor, Gabriel Suswam and a former Commissioner for Finance, during his tenure, Omodachi Okolobia were charged to court on Tuesday, November 10th, 2015.

Punch Newspapers reports that they were arraigned before Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on a nine count charge, bothering on money laundering.

An excerpt of the charge reads: “That you Gabriel Torwua Suswam and Omodachi Okolobia, while being Benue State Governor and Commissioner of Finance of Benue State respectively on or about 17th October, 2014 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did transfer, through Elixir Securities Limited, the sum of N1,068,000,000.00 to the account of Fanffash Resources World-Wide Limited, a bureau de change company, which sum you knew formed part of the proceeds of unlawful activity: to wit: theft of the sum of N3,111,008,018.51 which forms part of the sum of N9,411,708,009.51 realised from the sale of shares owned by Benue State Government and Benue Investment and Property Company Limited and you hereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act.”

They have since been granted bail by Justice Mohammed to the sum of N100m with one surety each.