Diezani’s bribe to INEC staff: Court rules out plea-bargain

By Innocent Anaba

Lagos—A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, ruled that a plea bargain agreement between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and an Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, official charged with money laundering, cannot be applicable to the accused, one Christian Nwosu.

Trial judge, Justice Mohammed Idris held that by the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, such an accused deserved a heavier sentence.

The EFCC had charged a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke, and three officials of INEC for money laundering, while Allison-Madueke was described in the charge as “still at large.”

The officials are: Christian Nwosu, Yisa Olarenwaju and Tijani Bashir.

When the three officials were arraigned, Nwosu, pleaded guilty to the charges, while Adedoyin and Bashir pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The commission hence informed the court of a plea bargain agreement between the EFCC and Nwosu.

Ruling on the matter, yesterday,  Justice Idris held that the penalty set out in paragraph 4 of the plea bargain agreement entered into by the accused with the EFCC,  ran contrary to the provisions of sections 16 (2) (b)  of the ACJA.

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