Former Acting Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Calistus Obi, has admitted to diverting N331 million belonging to the agency.
Obi made the revelation on Monday, February 25, 2018, during his cross-examination at his ongoing trial before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of a Federal High Court in Lagos.
He said he used the N331 million to build a hotel.
On April 12, 2016, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Obi, alongside one, Alu Dismas, a former P.A to the immediate past DG of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi.
They were arraigned before the court on an 8-count charge of converting N331 million belonging to NIMASA to personal use.
During the cross-examination by the EFCC's lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, Obi said he transferred part of the diverted money to a firm known as Seastroke International, which built a hotel for him in Asaba, Delta state.
He, however, added that he has since refunded the money when the EFCC asked him to do so.
Justice Olatoregun adjourned the matter to March 7.
On February 5, 2018, A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had ordered the final forfeiture of the sum of £578,080.00 to the Federal Government.
Justice Saliu Saidu ordered the final forfeiture, saying that the EFCC had proven that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activity.
In December 2017, the anti-graft agency filed an exparte application through its counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, seeking the forfeiture of the funds.
Oyedepo argued that the money sought to be forfeited is reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities of a maritime firm, ZAL Marine Limited.
He also alleged that the money was stolen by the maritime firm through some employees of NIMASA.
The Commission accused one Macfoy Irene, an Assistant Director and Head of Nigerian Seafarers Development Program, to have facilitated the fraudulent transfer of the sum of £1,074,600.00 from NIMASA's Zenith Bank (UK) Account to an offshore account belonging to Swiss Bulk carriers S.A under the false Pretenses of training 54 Nautical Science and Marine Engineering Students on Sea Training on March 16, 2013.
The EFCC said the money was transferred from NIMASA’s Accounts without any parastatal or Ministerial Tender Board Approval or Contract.
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