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| Stephen Oronsaye |
A Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice I.E. Ekwo has adjourned the case of a former Head of Service, HoS, Stephen Oronsaye, to October 21, 22 and 23, 2019.
Oronsaye is standing trial along with Osarenkhoe Afe, managing director, Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited, on an amended 49-count charge bordering on pension and procurement fraud, to the tune of N2 billion.
They were initially standing trial before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of a Federal High Court, Abuja, on a 24-count charge bordering on stealing and obtaining money by false pretence, until the elevation of the trial judge to the Court of Appeal.
Following the development, the case file was reassigned to Justice Ekwo, and on February 11, 2019, they were re-arraigned before the trial judge on the amended charges.
Two more witnesses were presented by the prosecution on June 25, 2019 to prove that while Oronsaye held sway as the HoS, several contracts were awarded to companies without following due process.
It was also alleged that several of such awards were never executed, yet they were paid for. The alleged fraudulent transactions, which occurred between 2010 and 2011, involved Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited, and Xangee Technologies Limited, involved shady biometrics enrolment deals to the tune of N2 billion.
One of the counts reads in part: “That you Stephen Oronsaye, Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina (now at large) Osarenkhoe Afe and Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited on or about 2nd July, 2010 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court collaborated in disguising genuine nature of the sum of N161,472,000 derived from an illegal act wit, conducting procurement fraud by means of fraudulent and corrupt action the contract extension of biometric enrolment purportedly awarded to Innovative Solutions Limited by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation without following due process and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 14 (1) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004.”
Ayilara Abdul, a compliance officer with Polaris Bank, while testifying as the 10th prosecution witness, narrated how the EFCC requested for the bank statement of Afe and Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited.
Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, O.A. Atolagbe, the witness was shown the statement of account.
“They are the same ones sent to the EFCC,” Abdul confirmed.
Following the confirmation by the witness, they were admitted by the court and marked Exhibit EPW10A.
The prosecution thereafter, presented the 11th witness, Ganiyu Rasak, who was a civil servant in the Ministry of Education.
Under examination, he testified to the fact that the sum of N20 million which was transferred to the account of his friend, Salami Karim, who worked with the former HoS, was transferred during the tenure of Oronsaye.
“I don’t know what the money was used for,” he said.
