Former SMEDAN DG, Masari Arraigned Over Alleged N184.5m Fraud

The Independent Corrupt Practices Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned Mr Bature Umar Masari, a former Director-General of the Small and Medium Scale Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria before an FCT High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja.

N119.8m Bribe: ICPC docks Ex-DG SMEDAN Masari  https://t.co/QSVTtskg6O

— ICPC Nigeria (@icpcnigeria) September 24, 2018

Naija News understands that he was arraigned on 27 counts bothering on money laundering and embezzlement. According to the charge, Mr Masari fraudulently awarded constituency project contracts to the tune of N184.5 million without due process.

He was also accused of receiving the sum of N50 million in November 27, 2014, from one of the contractors and distributed part of the sum to some other persons. This, according to the ICPC, contravenes the provisions of Section 10 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges read to him after which his lawyer Mamadu Magaji, urged the court to grant him bail – a request the prosecution did not object to. After listening to both parties, the court granted the defendant bail in the sum of N50 million with two sureties who must be in the civil service and at director level.

The trial was then adjourned to November 26, 2018.