Judge OA Adeniyi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, sitting in Apo, Abuja, on Friday, September 20, 2019, ordered the remand in custody of Ms. Grace Taiga, a female complicit in the multiple fraud involving P&ID at Suleja prison.
Wilson Uwujaren, head of media and publicity for the anti-corruption agency, says she is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Taiga, former Director of Legal Services at the Ministry of Petroleum Resources was a key player in the fraudulent Gas Supply and Processing Agreement (GSPA) between the federal government and P&ID. It is alleged that he used his position to administer improper favors to the company.
She was indicted on eight count amended charges, bordering on accepting leftovers and other related offences.
The first count of the charge reads: “That you, Process and Industrial Developments Limited, being a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (now a convict), Michael Quinn (deceased), Brendan Cahill (at large), Neil Hitchcock (deceased) and Grace Taiga on or about January 11, 2010 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, with the intent to defraud made a false statement in paragraph 8(g) of Gas Supply and Processing (GSPA), namely: the parties are aware that the 24-inch Adanga pipeline currently under construction from the Addax operated OML 123, direct to Calabar and was due for completion in 2010, part of said agreement which you knew to be false and therefore committed an offense contrary to Section 362(a) of the Panel Code Act and punishable under Section 364 of the same law.”
The fifth count of the charge reads: “That you, Grace Taiga (Former Director of Legal Services at Ministry of Petroleum Resources) on or about the 18th of December 2017 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, corruptly received the sum of $10,000 (Ten Thousand US Dollars) from Industrial Consultants International, through your Zenith Bank Offshore Account No. 5070369868 due to the favor already shown to Process and Industrial Development s Limited, which led to the execution of the final agreement entered into between said company, incorporated and existing under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources on January 11, 2010, and thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 8(1)(a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Act 2010.”
The defendant pleaded not guilty to all charges. In view of his guilty plea, the prosecution’s lawyer, Bala Sanga, prayed to the court to set a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded in custody.
However, the defense lawyer, Ola Olanipekun SAN, submitted an oral request for bail for the defendant, which Judge Adeniyi rejected, preferring that he submit a formal request for bail.
Olanipekun SAN further told the court that the defendant had been in EFCC custody all along and was suffering from hypertension, praying that the defendant would remain in EFCC custody.
The prosecution’s lawyer opposed the sentence and urged the court to throw out the defendant’s claim of poor health as there was no evidence or proof for it. He also opposed the sentence for the defendant to be taken into EFCC custody, arguing that the matter was now in court and that the Commission’s detention center was overcrowded.
Judge Adeniyi adjourned the matter until 25 September 2019 for trial and remanded the defendant to Suleja Prison.
It should be recalled that two P&ID directors: Muhammed Kuchazi and Adamu Usman were sentenced on Thursday 19th September 2019 by a Federal High Court, Abuja, after they pleaded guilty to 11 counts bordering on obtaining on false pretext; trade in petroleum products without the corresponding license; tax evasion, money laundering and failure to register P&ID with the EFCC Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML) as required by law.
The trial judge, Judge IE Ekwo, also ordered the fraudulent company liquidated, while all its assets will be seized from the federal government.