N205m fraud: You’ve a case to answer, court tells Ogbulafor

Embattled former national chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, yesterday lost his bid to stop the N205 million fraud charges brought against him by the Federal Government. Specifically, an Abuja High Court has held that the ex-PDP boss had a case to answer in the fraud charges and ordered him to enter his defence. Justice Ishaq Bello delivered ruling in an application by Ogbulafor that his trial in the fraud case be stopped by the High Court on the ground that no evidence of fraud had been established against him by two government witnesses and in the 17 documents tendered at the close of the prosecution.
He argued through his counsel, Chief Joe Gadzama (SAN) that none of the two witnesses who testified for the Federal Government linked him with the alleged fraud said to have been perpetrated when he was the minister of special duties. But Justice Bello ruled against him, adding that since his name was repeatedly mentioned by the two witnesses in their evidence, he had some explanations to offer the court in the criminal charges.
The judge said he had not looked at the documents tendered or weighed the evidence of the witnesses given because there was no need for that at the stage of the trial but held that the case against Ogbulafor could only be terminated at a no-case submission stage if the evidence of the witnesses were so discredited that court should not rely on it to convict anybody. “In the final analysis of the submission of Gadzama, counsel to the accused person and those of Chief Solomon Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), counsel to the Federal government, I so hold that a prima facie case has been established against the accused and that he has some explanations to offer in defence of the criminal charges against him,” the judge said.
Ogbulafor was put on trial by the Federal Government for allegedly defrauding the nation to the tune of about N205 million when he was a special duties minister in the presidency. In the 17-count criminal charges, the ex-PDP boss was alleged to have headed a Payment Verification Committee for the Federal Government and allegedly indulged in gross abuse of office and in breach of public trust.
He was said to have verified and approved payment of N205 million to ghost companies allegedly belonging to his political associates. Others put on trial along with Ogbulafor were Emeka Ebile and Joe Nwokolo who were not in court because they did not object to their trial. Meanwhile, Justice Bello has adjourned the case till April 15 to enable Ogbulafor file his defence.

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