A former governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Timipre Sylva on Monday walked away from his fraud charges, as The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. M.S Diri, withdrew the N2.45bn fraud charges instituted against
Silva, a former Bayelsa State Governor, is a big wig and financier of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had on May 18, 2015 re-arraigned Sylva on six counts of fraud before Justice Evoh Chukwu of a Federal High Court in Abuja.
But the EFCC, represented by its Assistant Director, Legal and Prosecution, Mr. J.O Ojogbane, said the anti-graft agency was not part of the decision to withdraw the charges.
Following the withdrawal of the former prosecuting counsel, Mr. Festus Keyamo, from the case on May 25, 2015, it was handed over to the DPP.
But instead of the DPP appearing in court on Monday for commencement of trial, he issued a fiat to a private lawyer, O.J Nnadi (SAN), to continue prosecuting the case.
Nnadi, during the Monday’s proceedings tendered the freshly issued fiat before the court and told the judge that the EFCC had instructed him to withdraw the suit. He then urged the court to strike out the case.
Sylva’s lawyer, Mr. Israel Olorundare (SAN), did not oppose the application for the withdrawal of the suit.
He urged the court to strike it out as prayed by the prosecution but he also urged the court to order the release of his client’s passport which had been in the custody of the court since he was first arraigned in 2012.
