Gen. Useni, ex-Abuja minister faces trial for graft

Nnamdi Felix / Abuja:::::: Thirteen years after he was first docked before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on an alleged abuse of office and non declaration of assets, the trial of former Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Minister, Gen Jeremiah Useni (Rtd), resumed Tuesday before the conduct tribunal. The retired General was alleged to have used his office as the Abuja Minister, to acquire mind boggling landed properties in choice location of the Abuja metroplis. He was the minister of the FCT during the regime of late maximum dictator, General Sani Abacha, under whose regime Nigeria’s commonwealth was personalised and looted with reckless abandon. Useni was also alleged to have failed to declare his assets on assumption of office as well as on leaving office as the FCT minister. The retired General however, did not appear in person as statutorily required in criminal proceedings, and had never appeared before the court at anytime within the thirteen years the matter had lingered before the court. The Chairman of the Tribunal, Mr. Danladi Umar who led two other members of the panel could not hide his shock over the discovery that the former minister has been treating the Tribunal with disdain which accounted for his refusal to grace the court with his appearance. "The accused person had never appeared in person in this matter as required by the law. It has been a tale of one excuse or the other from the accused person”, the chairman observed. Explaining the General’s absence from the court, his lawyer, Mr. Victor Odjenu, told the tribunal that his client was on a "medical emergency" as at Monday night when he informed him of today’s sitting. He presented a medical report to the court, showing the health challenges of the former Minister. He could not however tell the court the specific hospital where former minister is recuperating at the moment. The Tribunal Chairman thereafter ordered that the General must appear before it at the next adjournment as the allegations preferred against him were criminal in nature. Mr. Odjenu further told the Tribunal that his presence was with regards to an application filed on behalf of the former minister and dated 15 May, 2013 as well as for the preliminary objection served on him by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Simon Egede. In the application, Gen. Useni is asking the Tribunal to make an order directing the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, to hand over some property titles confiscated from him, to the custody of the tribunal pending the determination of the substantive suit. President Olusegun Obasanjo, during his tenure had constituted a probe panel which investigated some persons, including Useni, and title documents to some properties suspected to have been fraudulently acquired by the former minister were confiscated. "It is this tribunal that can make an order seizing the title documents of the confiscated properties and forfeiture of such property. We therefore urge the court to make an order that the title documents of the property be put in custody of the tribunal" Mr. Odjenu told the Tribunal. In a preliminary objection to the application, the prosecutor, Mr. Simon Egede, challenged the jurisdiction of the Tribunal to adjudicate on the issue of the confiscated title documents. After listening to their submissions, the Chairman of the Tribunal adjourned the matter to July 16 for ruling on the preliminary objection.

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