The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has re-arraigned the purported Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi.
Adeyemi was re-arraigned on Thursday before the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, on a 22-count charge bordering on forgery, impersonation and fraud involving an alleged N30.8bn government funding request.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had earlier struck out the eight-count criminal charge brought against Adeniyi Adeyemi by the federal government.
Justice Mohammed Umar terminated Adeyemi’s trial before him following the request of the federal government to that effect and on the basis that the accused person would be moved to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory for fresh arraignment.
However, Adeyemi, who appeared on Thursday at the FCT High Court pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The prosecution alleged that Adeyemi forged official government documents to portray the non-existent council as a legitimate agency and obtain government recognition, office facilities and billions of naira in public funds.
According to the amended charges, Adeyemi allegedly sought more than N27bn as a take-off grant for the purported council and another N3.8bn for personnel costs.
The commission accused him of using forged documents purportedly signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to establish his claimed position as the council’s director-general.
One of the charges alleged that Adeyemi forged a letter with reference number SH/COS/209/A/3456, dated March 8, 2024, purportedly appointing him to head the council.
The prosecution said the document was allegedly prepared with the intention of making it appear genuine and enabling the defendant to occupy government office facilities at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.
Another count accused Adeyemi of forging a document addressed to the Accountant-General of the Federation and captioned, “RE: REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF SELF-ACCOUNTING STATUS”.
The commission alleged that the document was intended to enable the purported council to operate within the government’s financial reporting structure.
It further accused Adeyemi of forging correspondence addressed to the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency to obtain a domain name for the purported agency.
The charges also alleged that Adeyemi offered N210,000 to an Assistant Chief Technical Officer in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Aminu Abdullahi, “to facilitate the allocation of office space,” without official authorisation.