[Convicted pension thief, Mr John Yakubu Yusufu, Monday, challenged the powers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to prosecute him over his alleged complicity in another N300million fraud.]

Convicted pension thief, Mr John Yakubu Yusufu, Monday, challenged the powers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to prosecute him over his alleged complicity in another N300million fraud.

Yusufu who was earlier handed a light sentence by trial Justice Abubakar Thalba of an Abuja High Court at Gudu after he confessed that he conspired with six other civil servants and stole N23billion from the Police Pension Fund, Monday, insisted that the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has no jurisdiction to hear the fresh case brought against him by the anti-graft agency.

The accused person who was a former Director of Pension in the Police Affairs Ministry, is answering to a 4-count criminal charge.

In the fresh charge, he was said to have on or about February 14, 2012, knowingly failed to make full disclosure of his assets and liability in the Declaration of Assets Form he filled and submitted, and equally failed to declare that he owns a company known as AY-A Global Services Limited.

EFCC told the court that he used the name of the company and lodged in a fixed deposit account with the Zenith Bank, the sum of N250million, N10million in a fixed deposit account with the First Bank of Nigeria Plc, and another N29 million which he was said to have instructed one Danjuma Mele to lodge in his company account in the name of Jidag Technical Services Ltd with Diamond Bank.

The offence according to the prosecuting agency is punishable under section 27 (3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment e.t.c) Act Cap E1 2004.

However, the accused person through his lawyer Mr F.C Ibeh, urged the trial court to either hands-off his trial of quash the entire charge for want of jurisdiction.

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Posted: at 22-04-2013 07:53 PM (10 years ago) | Hero

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