EFCC CLEARS IMPEACHED DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF IMO STATE SIR JUDE AGBASO

Less than 11 months after a duly elected Imo state deputy governor Sir Jude Agbaso, was impeached over allegation of receiving N458 million bribe from a contractor, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has cleared him of the charges.

Sir Jude Agbaso was removed from office by the Imo State House of Assembly in February after the managing director of JPROS International Limited, a construction company, accused him of receiving N458 million bribe for a contract awarded by the Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha which he alleged made it impossible for the company to have enough funds to complete the road project contracts awarded to it by the Imo State Government.
The Chief Judge of Imo State had constituted a probe panel to look into the allegation, following which the House of Assembly, based on the panel’s report, removed Agbaso from office.
The former deputy governor had stated his innocence and had, in March, written to the EFCC asking the commission to investigate the matter, with the view to finding out if the allegation was true or not.
Having investigated the matter for nine months, the EFCC has absolved Agbaso of blame. In a letter dated November 27, 2013 and addressed to Agbaso, the EFCC stated that its findings revealed that the former deputy governor was innocent of the bribery allegation.
The letter, signed by  Olaolu Adegbite, director of operations, entitled: “Re: Formal request for investigation of Mr. Joseph Dina of JPROS International Nigeria Ltd, a construction company located at 11 Umezuruike Street, opposite Umezuruike Hospital, Owerri, Imo State,” the EFCC stated that the managing director of JPROS, Mr. Dina, in his statement, had said he never gave money to Agbaso or any other official of the Imo State Government over the road contracts.
The letter also stated that there was nothing, from documents and its finding, linking Agbaso  as beneficiary of the contracts.
The EFCC said that following its findings, it would take actions to bring those involved in the allegation and road contracts to book.
The letter from EFCC read: “We refer to your letter dated March 21, 2013 on the above subject and hereby provide our findings so far into the case.
“Road contracts for the sum of one and half billion Naira awarded to JPROS International Nig Ltd was alleged to have engendered fraudulent bribe payment of N458 million by the managing director of JPROS, one Joseph Dina, to you as the then deputy governor and commissioner of works.
“In furtherance of the investigation, evidence adduced from interview of key officials of Imo State government and other important witnesses, as well as documents obtained from relevant financial institutions confirmed that  N1, 305, 000, 000. 00 was paid to JPROS to execute the Warehouse Orlu Road Junction, Odunze Street, Aba Road and Old Nekede Road projects within Owerri metropolis before mobilisation to the sites.
“The total of $5, 538, 830.00 USD was found to have been remitted to the personal accounts of Dina in Dubai and Lebanon. There is so single evidence so far that suggested that you benefited from the funds.
“In his statement to the commission on March 28, 2013, Dina revealed that he never gave any money to you or any other official of the state government over the contracts, which are yet to be fully executed as at the last visit of our officers in April 2013.
“The commission’s legal department is working on the case file, with a view to taking appropriate legal action, please.”