Bounced Cheque: Court refers Sen Uzodinma to EFCC for investigation

…Agency acknowledges receipt of case file

A court in Abuja has referred the case of criminal complaint,
made against Senator Hope Uzodinma (Orlu District, Imo State), to
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for
investigation and appropriate action.

Judge Abdulwahab Muhammed of the Grade 1 Area Court of the
Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Arab Road, Kubwa, Abuja made the
referral following Uzodinma’s alleged consisted failure to attend
court to answer to the complaint made against him and his firms by
Chitex Ventures Ltd and Chima Akuzie, who claimed that the Senator
issued them a N200 million UBA dud (bounced cheque).

Akuzie claimed the Uzodinma subcontracted to his company, a
shoreline protection project in Koko, Delta State, which he
(Uzodinma) allegedly got from the Niger-Delta Development
Commission (NDDC) and that the dud cheque was intended as payment
their successful execution of the project.

The referral of the case to the EFCC was conveyed through a
letter dated October 29 this year, was received by the EFCC, Acting
Chairman, Ibrahim Magu on November 6.

A copy of the letter, sighted by The Nation on Friday, has as
its reference number: FCT/JD/AC/ABJ/CORR/EFCC/VOL1/2018. It was
addressed to the Acting Chairman of the EFCC.

Part of it reads: “Re-Criminal complaint against Senator Hope
Uzodinma, Smiec Engineering and Chemical Construction Company
Limited, and Niger Global Engineering and Technical Company Limited
for criminal conspiracy, joint act, criminal misappropriation,
criminal breach of trust and cheating.

“The above subject matter, with case number: CR/358/2018 between
Chimex Ventures Ltd & 1 other and Senator Hope Uzodinma & 2 others,
refers.

“With reference to the above subject matter, I am directed to
inform you and refer the above matter to your office for proper,
thorough and discreet comprehensive investigation in line with
Section 89(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act,
2015.

“Please find attached copy of the complaint for your information
and further action.”

The court’s decision to refer the case to the EFCC was taken on
October 29 when the case came up, but neither Uzodinma, nor his
lawyer was in court.

The court, on September 18 this year, issued a bench warrant
against Uzodinma and ordered his production by security agencies on
September 25 this year, on the grounds that he allegedly failed to
attend court to answer to the criminal complaint pending against
him and his companies – Smiec Engineering and Chemical Construction
Company Limited, and Niger Global Engineering and Technical Company
Limited.

On September 25, the court granted a request by lawyer to the
complainants, Tosin Ojaomo for the publication of a public summons
against Uzodinma following the failure of security agencies to
produce him despite a pending arrest warrant issued against
him.

When the case came up again on October 29, Uzodinma was still
absent in court, following which Judge Muhammad elected to refer
the case to the EFCC for investigation and further necessary
actions.