The Head of Nigerian University Teaching Hospital is facing a really hard time for allegedly committing a grievous crime.
Justice I. E. Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Calabar,
Cross Rivers State has remanded the Chief Medical Director of University
of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Thomas Agan, two other staff of the
university and promoters of two companies in prison custody, NAN
reports.
This follows their arraignment on Monday by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a five-count charge bordering on
alleged conspiracy, bid rigging, abuse of office and breach of due
process contrary to the Procurement Act of 2007.
Two other staff of the Teaching Hospital arraigned with Mr. Agan
are: Offor Jonan Offor, Head, Works and Engineering and Francis I. Utu,
Chief Administrative Officer and Head, Legal Services.
The other two accused persons remanded in prison are Okocha Anthony
and Emmanuel Etta Nkim, both owners of Anchor Industrial &
Construction Services Nigeria Limited and Basemark Energy Nigeria
Limited respectively. The companies were allegedly used to perpetrate
the fraud.
Mr. Agan, a professor, and his two other colleagues were alleged to
have used their positions to corruptly influence the award of the
purchase of a Life Support Ambulance Vehicle and one Toyota Coaster Bus
to Anchor Industrial and Construction Services Nigeria and Basemark
Energy Nigeria Limited by inflating their costs and without following
due procurement processes to the tune of N85, 062,000.00 thereby
contravening the provisions of the Public Procurement Act 2007.
Count one of the charge read, “That you Prof. Thomas U. Agan as
Chief Medical Director, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Offor
Jonah Offor as Head of Works and Engineering, University of Calabar
Teaching Hospital, Francis I. Utu as Chief Administrative Officer and
Head of Legal Services, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Okocha
Anthony being the alter ego of Anchor Industrial and Construction
Services Nigeria Limited and Emmanuel Etta Nkim being the Alter Ego of
Basemark Energy Nigeria Limited sometime in the month of October 2015 in
Calabar, Cross Rivers State within the jurisdiction of this honourable
court did conspire amongst yourselves to bid rig for the purchase of one
Advance Life Support Ambulance vehicle and one Toyota Coaster Bus 30
seater to Messrs Basemark Energy Nigeria Limited and Anchor Industrial
and Construction Services Nigeria Limited contrary to Section 58(4) of
the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007 and thereby committed an offence
punishable under Section 58(5) of the same Act”.
When the charges were read to the defendants, they all pleaded not guilty.
In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, Kayode Oni, asked the
court to remand the defendants in prison custody and to fix a date for
trial. However, an attempt by the defence counsel, Mba Ukwenyi, to move
an oral application for bail for his clients was refused by the judge
who ordered that a formal application be filed.
Justice Ekwo adjourned the case to May 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 for
trial and ordered that the accused persons be remanded in prison
custody.
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