A politician originally from Cross River State, who vied for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election for the House of Representatives in the state, Ericbona Eliom Ushie, is currently confronting criminal charges before a Lagos High Court in Ikeja, the state capital.
Ushie was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged stealing and fraud, among other sundry charges before Honourable Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe.
EFCC filed 13 counts bordering on obtaining under false pretense against the politician. It noted that the crime is contrary to sections 1(1a) and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offenses Act, (2006) as amended.
Ushie was accused of stealing contrary to section 280 (1) (b) and punishable under section 287 of the Lagos State Criminal Law of 2015.
Count two of the charge sheet reads, “Ericbona Eliom Ushie, sometime in 2023 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud the aggregate sum of N35.397 million property of calibration and non-destructive Services Limited under the pretense that the said sum was for the purpose of securing award of contract from Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).”
The accused who was alleged to have contested the PDP House of Representatives’ primary election in 2023, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Responding to his plea of not being guilty to the charges brought against him, the prosecutor, Mrs Bilikisu Buhari, told the court that the prosecution was going to produce 13 witnesses to testify during the trial of the case.
The defence counsel, Ms C. Orji in her submission informed the judge that she had filed a bail application and that she had also served the prosecution. This was confirmed by the prosecution team.
Orji pleaded with the court to grant bail to her client since he is presumed innocent until proven guilty, adding that he was not a flight risk and would not jump bail.
Justice Abike-Fadipe however turned down the defence counsel’s request for the defendant to be granted bail on his own self-recognizance and declared that Ushie be remanded in prison custody till February 22, when the bail application would be ruled on.
