Former
Minister of the FCT, Bala Muhammed will be arraigned by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on fresh six-count charges tomorrow.
Bala,
who was last Wednesday re-arrested and detained by the EFCC, would be arraigned
before an FCT High Court on charges bordering on bribery and false asset
declaration in the sum of N864 million and properties in Abuja and Kaduna.
According
to the EFCC, the ex-minister accepted N550 million in gratification from the
Aso Savings and Loans Ltd, in respect of house 2599 and 2600 Cadastral Zone
AO4, Asokoro, Abuja sometime in 2014.
The
EFCC said on October 24, 2016 he lied to Detective Ishaya Daudu of the Economic
Governance Section of the commission, while making a statement that the house
was acquired through the bank’s mortgage loan.
The
ex-minister was also alleged to have on October 24, 2016 failed to make full
disclosure in an EFCC asset declaration form about property No 54 Mike Akhigbe
Street, Jabi Abuja and declared “property at Angwan Sarki, Kaduna State as
undeveloped plot whereas it is a fully built house.”
EFCC
also alleged that the ex-minister falsely claimed in his asset declaration form
that the property: CITEC Kwara House 5 A9 Street, Mbora, Abuja FCT belonging to
one Abubakar Abdu Mohammed was his.
He
was also alleged to have used his position as chairman Board of Aso Savings to
confer corrupt and undue advantage to himself, by allocating four numbers fully
detached duplexes and 11 numbers semi-detached duplexes valued at N314 million
only through the Presidential Taskforce on Sale of Governments Houses.
The
offences are contrary to sections 18 (b), 19 of the Independent Corrupt
Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000; sections 27 (3) (a) and 39 of
the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004.
Meanwhile,
counsel to Bala Muhammed, Chris Uche (SAN) has filed a fundamental rights
application before the court challenging the re-arrest and detention of the
former minister.
Uche
asked the court to grant him bail pending trial because he was previously granted
bail by the court on December 1, 2016, adding that an initial five-count charge
against him was withdrawn by the EFCC.
Umar
Aliyu Usman, an aide to the ex-minister averred in an affidavit attached to the
suit, that he had lung surgery complications as a result of the previous
detention between October 24 and December 9, 2016.
Our
correspondent gathered last night that the former minister was still being
detained at the EFCC
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