The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has sought a court warrant for the arrest of a former Executive Director on Projects at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Tuoyo Omatsuli, in connection with an alleged N3.6 billion fraud case. The anti-graft agency made this request to compel Omatsuli to attend his trial on charges of money laundering.
Omatsuli and his co-defendants had previously filed a no-case submission after the EFCC presented 16 prosecution witnesses and closed its case against them. The spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, stated that the defendants opted not to open their defense. In response, the EFCC filed a request for a warrant of arrest against Omatsuli.
The charges against Omatsuli, Francis Momoh, Don Parker Properties Limited, and Building Associates Limited involved an alleged conspiracy and money laundering totaling N3,645,000,000. The EFCC, in its statement, quoted one of the counts, accusing Omatsuli of disguising the illegal origin of the funds and committing an offense contrary to the Money Laundering Act.
Following the initial trial, Justice Saliu Saidu discharged Omatsuli on November 11, 2020, stating, “I found no reason for the first defendant to enter the defense.” However, the EFCC appealed this ruling, and on April 13, 2022, the Court of Appeal upheld the appeal, setting aside the earlier ruling and requiring Omatsuli to enter into his defense accordingly.
The EFCC’s appeal was successful, leading to the reinstatement of charges against Omatsuli, but the former NDDC Executive Director was reportedly absent from the recent court proceedings, with his counsel citing a pending appeal before the Supreme Court as the reason for his absence.
