FORMER Bayelsa State governor and the chairman of the All Progressive Congress's (APC) transition committee Chief Timipre Sylva has been re-arraigned in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a N2.45bn corruption case. 

On May 8 2013, the former governor was arrested at his Abuja home by the EFCC after an Abuja High court granted the commission permission to paste the six-count money laundering charges at the front gate of his Abuja residence. Of late, the EFCC has stepped up the prosecution of the corruption charges relating to Governor Sylva's time in office. 

According to the prosecution, Governor Sylva allegedly committed the offence between October 2009 and February 2010 as governor of Bayelsa State. He pleaded not guilty to all the six counts when he was re-arraigned before Justice Evoh Chukwu yesterday as he did when he was first arraigned for the offences before Justice Adamu Bello on June 5, 2012. 

Governor Sylva also has similar charges pending against him before Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja. However, the latest case had to start afresh following the retirement of Justice Bello. 

Prosecuting counsel Festus Keyamo, who signed the charges, accused Governor Sylva of offences, including conversion of various sums of money belonging to the state with the aim of concealing their illicit origins. Governor Sylva has also been accused of knowing the illegal sources of the money and allegedly converted the funds through the bank accounts of a Bureau de Change operator and other individuals in order to conceal their illicit origin. 

He is also accused of inducing Union Bank to fraudulently grant him a N2bn (£6.5m) overdraft facility under the pretext of using the money to augment workers’ salaries. Governor Sylva allegedly committed the offences in conspiracy with other unnamed persons said to be at large. 

In the first count, the EFCC alleged that between October 2009 and February 2010, the former governor conspired with other unnamed persons to convert property and resources amounting to N2bn belonging to the Bayelsa State government.  In the second count, the EFCC alleged that on January 22, 2010, Governor Sylva converted a sum of N380m, belonging to the Bayelsa State government, through the account of one Habibu Sani Maigidia, a Bureau de Change operator with Account No. 221433478108 in Fin Bank. 

The third count accused the former governor of converting N50m belonging to his state through the account of one Enson Benmer with Account No. 6152030001946 in First Bank. The fourth count alleged that the accused, on January 5, 2010, converted the sum of N20m belonging to Bayelsa State, through the account of one John Daukoru, with account number 04800250000418 in United Bank of Africa. 

In counts five and six, the former governor was accused of conspiring with others to induce Union Bank and inducing the bank with the intent to defraud, to grant an overdraft facility of the sum of N2bn under the false pretence of using the amount to augment salaries of the Bayelsa State government. After the arraignment Justice Chukwu granted bail to Governor Sylva on conditions and terms previously granted by the former trial judge, with the trial fixed for May 25.