A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja on Thursday remanded former chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Danladi Umar at the Kuje Correctional Centre after he was arraigned on four counts of alleged corruption.
Mr Umar was arraigned before Justice Peter Kekemeke by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
After the charges were read to him, he pleaded not guilty to all four counts.
Following his plea, prosecution counsel Christopher Mshelia asked the court to fix a date for trial and remand the defendant pending the hearing of the case.
Defence counsel Sunday Edward applied for bail, assuring the court that Umar would be available to stand trial.
The prosecution opposed the immediate hearing of the bail application, saying it had only been served with the application on Wednesday and needed time to file a response.
Also Read:EFCC uncovers N7bn loot in religious bodies acct
Female soldier who accepted corps member’s marriage proposal violated rules of conduct – Army
Justice Kekemeke adjourned the case until July 15 for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that Umar be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending its determination.
According to the charge sheet, the Federal Government alleged that while serving as chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal and its Tenders Board, Umar used his office to obtain benefits through payments made by contractors to his wife and children.
The prosecution alleged that in October 2021, N5.5 million was paid to his wife’s account by a subcontractor involved in a painting contract awarded by the tribunal.
It also alleged that in January 2024, another contractor paid N6 million to his wife’s account in connection with a contract for the digitalisation of the tribunal’s records.
In two other counts, the government alleged that in October 2024, a contractor paid N2,043,916.88 each to Baze University as tuition fees for Danladi Umar’s son and daughter.
The Federal Government said the alleged acts contravened Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
QEDNG
