Delta: Ex-LG chairman jailed for paying wife N110,000 monthly imprest

The former chairman of Patani Local Government Area of Delta State, Mr Austin Bebeteidoh, has been sentenced to three years in jail for paying his wife a monthly imprest of N110,000, thereby contravening Section 19 of the ICPC Act.

The former chairman was charged to court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in 2007, on a seven-count charge of violating Sections 16,19 and 25 of the ICPC Act. 

He was accused of converting for his personal use the sum of N7million overdraft facility he obtained on behalf of Patani Local Government Council from the New Nigerian Bank Plc and another sum of N710,000 which he purportedly used for hiring a vehicle for official use. 

Mr  Bebeteidoh was also accused of approving for fueling of his wife’s car the sum of N110,000 monthly as imprest, even though his wife had no official car.

Justice G.B Briki-Okolosi, while delivering his judgement on Thursday, discharged and acquitted the accused on counts 1-5 but found him guilty on counts 6 and 7. He then sentenced the former local government chairman to three years with an option of N200,000 fine on count 6 and another N200,000 on count 7.

Meanwhile, the ICPC has arrested an officer of the Nigerian Prison Service, ASP Ikwuobe Yusuf, and his accomplice, Usman Musa, for operating a fake employment syndicate through which they extorted hundreds of thousands of naira from applicants.

ASP Yusuf is alleged to have collected the sum of N100,000 from 70 applicants through  Musa who promised to offer the applicants employment with National Task Force to combat illegal importation and smuggling of goods, small arms, ammunition and light weapons.

The suspects were arrested in Kano and Kaduna states and have been transferred to the ICPC headquarters for further investigation.