Commission arrests lawyer for allegedly defrauding FG of N928m

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has said it arrested a lawyer, Mr Adeola Adeyanju, for allegedly defrauding the Federal Government of N928 million.

The commission made the disclosure on Tuesday in Lagos in its recent in-house news bulletin.

The bulletin said that the suspect allegedly forged the payment mandate of the Ministry of Environment.

The commission, according to the bulletin, alleged that the suspect moved the said amount from First City Monument Bank where the money had been domiciled with his Zenith Bank’s personal account.

"On the same day the money hit his account, he again moved it to a Bureau de Change’s account where the money was converted and paid to him in dollars," it said.

It said the suspect’s counsel, Mr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), had earlier sought for the enforcement of his client’s fundamental human rights from an Abuja High Court with an application for bail award of N100 million as damages.

Ikpeazu, according to the anti-graft bulletin, claimed that the detention of his client was a violation of his human rights, stressing that the suspect was suffering from a strangulated hernia.

The bulletin said the commission’s counsel, Mr Osuobeni Akpors, who opposed the bail application, noted that the suspect had allegedly been a serial offender and that if granted bail, might abscond.

Akpors further stated that the suspect had earlier been allegedly convicted in another High Court in a suit number FCT/CR/14/04, stressing that he had shown no sign of repentance.

"Based on the facts before the trial judge, the suspect was denied bail," the commission added.