by Rachel Ogbu

Justice G.B Briki-Okolosi of an Asaba High Court has handed down a three year jail sentence to former chairman of Patani Local Government Area of Delta State, Austin Bebeteidoh, who paid his wife a monthly imprest of N110, 000.

His act according to the court, contravened Section 19 of the ICPC Act. He was charged in 2007 by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for violating Sections 16, 19 and 25 of the ICPC Act.

He was accused of fuelling of his wife’s car monthly despite the fact that his wife did not drive an official car.

According to reports, he was also 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.

[READ: “Nigeria has been drowning in a sea of corruption” – Gov. Godswill Akpabio stars as Captain Obvious]

The Nation reports:

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.