EFCC REARRESTS PENSION THIEF YAKUBU YUSUFU

A self-confessed police pension thief,  Yakubu Yusuf, was yesterday re-arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). 

Justice Abubakar Talba of an Abuja High Court had, in a judgement he delivered this Monday, freed Yusuf by asking him to pay N750, 000 fine or spend two years in jail after he admitted that he had embezzled N32.8 billion.

 As at the time of filing this report, the convicted former director of pension in the Police Affairs Ministry was still being held in the EFCC custody in Abuja and will be arraigned today before a Federal High Court in Abuja  on a fresh charge of stealing N300million.

Yusuf was picked up by the EFCC on upon his arrival in his residence.

Sources close to the EFCC told LEADRSHIP yesterday in Abuja that the joy of the family of the convicted director was short-lived as EFCC operatives whisked him away from his home in Abuja for interrogation and  later detained him.

But the EFCC legal team yesterday confirmed at the Federal High Court premises that the convict was re-arrested on Monday in connection with another case of fraud.

It was gathered that a four-count criminal charge had already been filed against him, preparatory to his arraignment before a federal high court today.

In the fresh four-count criminal charge, the convicted former federal director was accused of false declaration of assets contrary to section 27(3) of the EFCC  Act, 2004.

He was also accused of keeping N250million in a private company, SY-A Global Services Ltd, floated in the name of his family members as directors and refused to disclose the asset in his asset declaration form.

The money was alleged to have been fixed in an account with Zenith Bank.

In the new charge signed by Mr. Chile Okoroma, EFCC director of legal services, the former pension director was also accused of fixing another N10million in his private company bank account at First Bank where he was the sole signatory. He was also alleged to have fixed another N29m in another bank account but failed to disclose his interest in his asset declaration form.

EFCC lead lawyer Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) confirmed that necessary steps had  been taken and that the accused person will be arraigned  in Abuja today.

The former pension director had, on Monday, forfeited 32 different properties to the federal government as proceeds of fraud in addition to about N400m cash in a bank account traced to him.

His conviction by Justice Talba followed his admission of guilty plea  to the criminal charge brought against him under section 309 of the penal code.

Source: Leadership