By Onyekachi Eze
Former Commissioner for Transport and Chairman, Management Committee of the Imo State Transport Company, ITC, during the Rescue Mission administration in the State, Prince Lasbery Okaforanyanwu is in for a serious trouble, over an alleged diversion of ITC money to his personal account.
Okaforanyanwu was accused of converting one hundred and eighty million naira, said to belong to the State, as realized through the ITC into his personal money.
This mind boggling revelation was made by an anti-graft agency, Enugu zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, recently.
The Ex Commissioner, Trumpeta Newspaper learnt, was arraigned last Thursday, before Justice E.F Njemanze of the Imo State High Court, over the alleged fraud.
He was arraigned over four-count charges, bordering on conspiracy, abuse of office, stealing and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N180 million belonging to the State owned Transport Company.
It was disclosed that the accused transferred the sum of One hundred million naira, (N100m) belonging to Imo ITC into his Imo Microfinance Bank account with Polaris Bank to a different Polaris Bank account with No: 40906668828, belonging to Oma Oil & Industries Ltd, a company in which he is believed to be a Shareholder/Director/Chairman/Chief Executive and Signatory to its bank account, contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.”
It was further gathered that Okaforanyanwu pleaded not guilty to all the charges, following which prosecution counsel, Victor Okereke asked for a trial date and for the court to remand him in the custody of Nigerian Correctional Service, pending trial. Defence counsel, J.C. Ezem, however, filed an application for Anyanwu’s bail.
Justice Njemanze admitted him to bail in the sum of N20 million, with two sureties, who must be resident in Owerri; swear affidavit of means and deposit two passports each.
He adjourned the matter till January 21 and 28, 2021, and February 4 and 11 February, 2021.
However, he crossed a thin line following a petition in which it was alleged that he used his position as Imo State commissioner for Transport to transfer the ownership of the State’s Transport Company to his private company, Oma Oil/ Industries Ltd.
Investigation by the EFCC showed that the defendant through an opaque concession agreement with the state government, transferred the administrative duties of the state’s transport company to his Oma Oil/Industries Ltd such that finances accruing to the state transport company were channelled to his company. It was further discovered that on January 13, 2017, the defendant diverted and transferred the sum of N80 million from Imo State Ministry of Transport to his Oma Oil/Industries Ltd and another N100 million to the same company between November 6 and 10 2017 from Imo State Transport Company account.
