Jide Omokore, chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited and a supporter of former petroleum minister Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, has been cleared of fraud by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
However, the court found Victor Briggs and Abiye Membere, Omokore’s co-defendants, guilty of receiving car gifts in violation of Section 98 of the Criminal Code Act.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba declared in his ruling on the alleged $1.66 billion fraud charge brought against the defendant by the trial judge that the prosecution had failed to establish Omokore’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
According to the judge, the prosecution was unable to prove Omokore committed the crimes of obtaining by false pretence, conspiracy, fraud, and conversion.
He then released and exonerated him.
The judge, however, found Briggs and Membere guilty of official corruption under Section 98 of the Criminal Code Act and convicted them of same.
The judge said that Briggs and Membere collected car gifts which they admitted to in their extra judicial statements.
Justice Dimgba said that being public officials, he was satisfied that the manner in which they received the car gifts was unethical.
He ordered that the convicts be remanded in EFCC custody pending their sentencing on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the offence of public corruption under Section 98 of the Criminal Code Act attracts a seven-year jail term.
NAN also reports that the defendants were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 15-count charge on July 4, 2016.
They were alleged to have fraudulently diverted about $1.6 dollars alleged to be part of proceeds of sales of petroleum products belonging to the Federal Government. (NAN)
