A prosecution witness, Rouqayya Ibrahim, on Tuesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja how former Head of Service of the Federation, Stephen Oronsaye, and others allegedly stole N14bn pension fund using about 66 illegal bank accounts.
Ibrahim, an investigator and an operative with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said the fraud was discovered in 2010 as Oronsaye was about to leave office.
She said the former Head of Service and Co, in siphoning the money, used such means as payment to “ghost” pensioners and disbursements of funds for non-existing contracts. And also through payments of non-existing allowances to fake members of staff and to the National Union of Pensioners and Association of Federal Civil Service Retirees.
The EFCC is prosecuting Oronsaye, Osarenkhoe Afe and three other firms on 35 counts, including illegal acts of “conducting procurement fraud by means of fraudulent and corrupt act on the contract of biometric enrolment”.
Other defendants are Fedrick Hamilton Global Services Limited, Cluster Logistic Limited, Kangolo Dynamic Cleaning Limited, and Drew Investment & Construction Company Limited.
While testifying, Ibrahim said apart from one company, Innovative Solutions Uptrach Communications Limited, which executed “a semblance” of a contract awarded, other firms were paid for non-existing jobs.
Hearing continues on June 21.
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