Hanrrietta Okojie, a staff member of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) account and finance department, was arraigned at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on Friday over her alleged involvement in a N1.85 billion fraud.
Ms Okojie was arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) before Justice Emeka Nwite on a four-count charge.
When the matter was called, ICPC’s lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, informed the court that the matter was scheduled for Ms Okojie to take her plea.
The anti-corruption commission lawyer applied for the June 6 bench warrant to be vacated against him since the defendant was in court, and Justice Nwite granted the request.
After the four-count charge was read to her, Ms Okojie pleaded not guilty, and Mr Akponimisingha applied for a trial date.
But Ms Okojie’s lawyer, Ishiaku Garba, told the court that a bail application had been filed and served on the prosecution on June 11.
Mr Akponimisingha said though the application was served on his office on Tuesday, he only saw it on Thursday and would need time to respond.
“My lord, June 12 was a public holiday, and I couldn’t have come to the office,” he said.
He said he should be allowed to respond in the interest of fair hearing,
The judge agreed that the prosecution should be allowed to respond to the bail plea.
Justice Nwite, who ordered Ms Okojie to be remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre, adjourned the bail application hearing until June 20 and fixed July 10 for trial.
On June 6, the judge issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Ms Okojie, Musa Karaye, and Emmanuel Pada for failing to appear in court for their arraignment.
The judge gave the order after Mr Akponimisingha moved an oral application.
He then fixed Ms Okojie’s matter until Friday for ICPC to produce her in court, while Messrs Karaye and Panda’s cases were fixed for June 13 (Thursday).
The ICPC had preferred separate four-count charges against the affected officials, including Usman Ahmed Kwakwa, over allegations of misappropriation of public funds meant for the provision of electricity to rural communities across the country.
In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/203/24, Ms Okojie was alleged to have, in count one, sometime in March 2023 or thereabout, with intent to defraud the REA, received the sum of N342 million in different tranches through her Access Bank Account: 0009022275 under the false pretence of project supervision.
The offence is said to be contrary to section 1(1)(a) and punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
The total proceeds of fraud shared by all the accused officials was to the tune of N1.85 billion.
(NAN)
