Former acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Anamekwe Nwabuoku, requested time to negotiate an out-of-court settlement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) during his fraud trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday.
Nwabuoku, who faces nine counts of alleged N1.96 billion fraud, made the request through his counsel, Isidore Udenko, who informed the court that his client had previously attempted settlement negotiations with the anti-graft agency without success. Udenko revealed that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) has now been engaged to facilitate new talks.
“We are requesting the court’s indulgence to explore this settlement option,” Udenko said during the proceedings.
EFCC counsel Ekele Iheanacho (SAN) did not oppose the request, despite bringing five witnesses to court. “Although we are prepared to proceed with the trial if the defendant’s request aligns with the interests of justice, we will not oppose it,” Iheanacho stated.
The case involves allegations that Nwabuoku diverted public funds through four companies with bank accounts operated by a proxy, Gideon Joseph. These allegations were detailed in testimony from Felix Nweke, a director in the Federal Civil Service who was initially charged alongside Nwabuoku but was later dropped as a co-defendant after agreeing to testify for the prosecution.
Nwabuoku briefly served as acting Accountant-General in May 2022 following the suspension of Ahmed Idris, who faced separate accusations of laundering N80.2 billion. Nwabuoku was removed from the position in July 2022, just weeks after his appointment, amid allegations of prior financial misconduct.
Justice James Omotosho adjourned the case to March 13 for either a settlement update or a continuation of trial.
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