Date Published: 05/06/09

EFCC drags El-Rufai, NIDO pointman others to court over graft

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday 6 May,2009 arraigned Mallam Nasir Ahmed El- Rufai, the erstwhile Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, alongside Altine Jubrin, former Director General, Abuja Geographic Information (AGIS) and Ismaila Iro, former General Manager of AGIS on an eight (8) count charge of criminal conspiracy and abuse of office before Justice Shuaibu Bello at the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja.

One of the charges read: That you Mallam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai (M), Altine Jubrin (F) and Ismaila Iro (M) between 13 th December ,2003 ,and 14 th day of December 2007 or thereabout at theat the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory,Abuja and in the performance of your official duties as Public Officers, being the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory ,Abuja, the Director- General ,Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) respectively did engage in criminal conspiracy to commit an offence to wit: using your office (s) and position (s) to gratify and or confer corrupt or unfair advantage upon one another as such Public officers,by irregulular revocation and reallocation to each other of the parcel of land originally belonging to Power Holding Company of Nigeria Plc,thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 26 (1) 9c0 and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offence Act,2000.

When the case came up for the accused to take their plea, Counsel to EFCC, A. o Adelodun (SAN) moved for a motion for adjournment stating that the first and second accused persons, Mallam Nasir El- Rufai and Altine Jubrin had not been served their summons. He revealed that all efforts to contact them proved abortive. Adelodun therefore sought the permission of the court to serve their counsels the orders since they were all in the court. “My Lord if the court permits, I will suggest that since all the representatives of the accused persons are here, it clearly indicates that they are all aware of the case. Therefore we may be able to serve them the charges.”

However, counsel to Nasir Ahmed El Rufai A. U Mustapha who stood in for Charles Musa, agreed that although the charge had not been served on his client, he could not receive the order on his client’s behalf without a permission to do so adding that he has already filed a suit dated 4 th May, 2009 regarding the serving of the court charges. “Yes we have not been served. The position of the law is very clear as to how a charge should be served. It stated that all the accused persons should be served personally. We have filed an application dated 4 th May,2009 that for service to be proper, it has to be personal. I don’t have any instruction or mandate to accept service on behalf of my client”, he submitted.

Also reacting, counsel to the second accused person, Mike Ozekhome said he would also not collect the charge as the procedure for proper service of charges has to be strictly adhered to. Quoting the provision of the Criminal Procedure Act Section 88 to 95 , he said that none of the sections made allowance for counsel to accept service on behalf of client.

Justice Bello adjourned the case to June 11, 2009 directing that the accused be served with their summons.