Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday arraigned a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, Kabiru Turaki, before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Turaki was arraigned alongside his former Special Assistant, Sampson Okpetu, and two firms- Samtee Essentials Limited and Pasco Investment Limited – for corruption charges.
EFCC alleged that the ex-Minister used the two companies belonging to his aide, to perpetrate the alleged fraud.
When the charge was read to the defendants, they pleaded not guilty.
The defendants were subsequently granted bail by Justice Inyang Ekwo in the terms and conditions of bail earlier granted him by the EFCC.
Justice Ekwo fixed June 22 to commence the trial of the defendants.
Turaki presided over the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs from 2013 to 2015 and served as the Supervising Minister of Labour from 2014 to 2015 in the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration
The SAN is a political ally of the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in the February 2019 presidential election.
He was the second most senior member of Atiku’s legal team in their case that unsuccessfully challenged the victory of the President, Muhammadu Buhari, and the All Progressives Congress in the last presidential poll.