The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Ushie with theft, fraud, and other miscellaneous offenses in front of Honorable Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe.
Ericbona Eliom Ushie, a politician from Cross River State who ran in the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) primary election for the state’s House of Representatives, is presently being prosecuted on criminal accusations in a Lagos High Court located in Ikeja, the capital of the state.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Ushie with theft, fraud, and other miscellaneous offenses in front of Honorable Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe.
The EFCC filed 13 counts against the lawmaker that involved gaining something under false pretenses. It stated that the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offenses Act, 2006, as amended, sections 1(1a) and 1(3) are violated by the crime.
Ushie was charged with theft in violation of Lagos State Criminal Law of 2015 section 280 (1) (b), which carries a penalty.
In the second count of the charge sheet, it is stated that Ericbona Eliom Ushie intended to defraud calibration and non-destructive Services Limited of a total of N35.397 million in property sometime in 2023 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, by falsely representing that the money was needed to obtain a contract award from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).”
However, the defendant, who was allegedly a contestant in the 2023 PDP primary election for the House of Representatives, entered a not guilty plea.
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The prosecutor, Mrs. Bilikisu Buhari, informed the court that the prosecution would call thirteen witnesses to testify during the case trial in response to his plea of not guilty to the allegations made against him.
In her response, the defense attorney, Ms. C. Orji, told the judge that she had served the prosecution as well as submitted an application for bail. The prosecution team attested to this.
Orji begged the judge to release her client on bond, pointing out that he was not a flight risk and would not violate the conditions of his release.
However, Judge Abike-Fadipe denied the defense attorney’s request that the defendant be released on his own recognizance and ordered Ushie to remain in jail custody until February 22, when the bail application would be decided.
