The impeached governor of Bayelsa state in oil rich southern Nigeria was on Tuesday charged with 40 counts of corruption and money laundering in a Lagos court.
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was removed on December 9 by his state lawmakers, and immediately arrested, after he skipped bail in London last month where he was facing money-laundering charges and ran home to escape justice.
The former governor, dressed in a white and blue long-sleeved shirt and black trousers, was brought to the Federal High Court in Lagos by officials of the anti-graft agency.
No plea was taken once the charges were made, as the defence lawyer Alfred Kasumu asked for more time to study the charges.
”My Lord, I crave your indulgence to grant me more time to go through the charges so that I can properly brief my client on how to plead in the case. The case was filed yesterday and my client was served at 8.45pm,” he said.
”We certainly need more time to study it,” he added.
Presiding Judge Mohammed Shuaibu granted the prayer and adjourned the matter to Wednesday. The suspect is to be remanded in custody until then.
According to the charge list, the former governor was accused of owning a string of multimillion-dollar properties bought through front companies in London, California and Cape Town.
He was accused of illegally acquiring properties in many cities in Nigeria without declaring them in his assets form in compliance with the law.
Alamieyeseigha fled London on November 20 after he was charged with handling £1,8-million in embezzled public funds.
He made a surprise return to Bayelsa, reportedly disguised as a woman and carrying a forged passport, only to find his deputy had been named acting governor by local lawmakers.
His escape from British justice enraged Obasanjo, whose federal agents had been cooperating with Scotland Yard to prosecute the governor, and troops were deployed to Yenagoa.
Bayelsa is one of the richest states in Nigeria and receives about $60-million a month in revenue from oil production, but most of its two million residents live in abject poverty. — Sapa-AFP