Alleged N50m fraud: Ex-NITDA DG, Peter Jack, granted N20m bail

A former Director-General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Peter Jack, was today arraigned before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for an alleged N50 million contract scam.

The former NITDA boss was arraigned before Justice Justice Sylvanus Oriji, sitting at Apo, Abuja, by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation on a two-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and cheating.

Jack was alleged to have deceitfully collected N50 million from one Mr Tunde Ajala, that he (defendant) would award him a contract worth of N1 billion, which he failed to award and spent the money for other purposes for which it was given, thereby committed an offence of criminal breach of trust punishable under Section 312 of the Penal Code Law.

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He was further alleged to have deceitfully led the said Ajala to pay the N1million which he received as NITDA DG that he would award him (Ajala) a contract of N1billion, which he failed to award and spent the money for other than the purpose it was given with the intention of cheating, punishable under Section 322 of the Penal Code Law.

The former NITDA DG, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him in the court.

Following his not guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, Mrs Chelsy Emezina, asked for a date for trial to enable the prosecution to bring its witnesses to court.

Counsel for the defendant, O. A. Ekpenta, however, made an oral bail application, urging the court to grant the former NITDA boss bail in the most liberal terms.

He informed that Jack had previously been admitted to bail both by the police and the Magistrate’s Court, Abuja, where he had been arraigned on the same charge, marked CR/38/2019.

Ekpenta assured that if granted bail Jack would not jump bail, adding that he shall neither commit any offence nor attempt to interfere or intimidate witnesses.

The prosecutor, however, objected to the bail application, saying that the amount involved is huge enough to make the defendant jump bail.

Emezina stated that instead of granting the defendant bail, the court should order an accelerated hearing of the case, adding that the prosecution was ready with its witnesses.

Ruling on the bail application, Justice Oriji admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N20 million with two sureties in like sum.

He directed that the sureties, one of whom must be a civil servant, must depose to an affidavit of means and reside within the court’s jurisdiction and their addresses verified by the court’s registrar.