Former Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, will be arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on July 6, for alleged N900 million fraud.
According to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Prof. Ojerinde is being arraigned over alleged multiple frauds, while he served as the chief executive of JAMB and the National Examination Council (NECO).
Justice Obiora Egwuatu fixed the date, yesterday, after counseling to the ICPC, Ebenezer Shogunle, disagreed with the terms of the plea bargain application the defence counsel, P.A.O. Olorunnisola, SAN, had planned to file before the court.
Ojerinde was arrested by operatives of ICPC on March 15, in Abuja, for allegedly misappropriating funds to the tune of N900 million.
In suit number: CR/97/21 filed before the court, the former JAMB boss is the sole defendant.
When the matter was called for arraignment, his defence counsel, Olorunnisola, told the court that arrangements were being made for a plea bargain,
an arrangement, whereby the Ojerinde would plead guilty to the charge in exchange for a more lenient sentence.
However, counsel to the ICPC, Shogunle, who had already been served with a copy of the process, disagreed with Olorunnisola’s submission, saying the commission was not in agreement with the terms in the application.
Olorunnisola, in his submission, had argued that the application for a plea bargain before arraignment was in conformity with the provisions of the law.
Justice Egwuatu held that since the prosecution was not in agreement with the terms put forward by the defence, a written correspondence should be filed to the effect.
The judge then adjourned the matter until July 6 for arraignment.
