Alleged Pension Fraud: Court adjourns ex-HoS Oronsaye’s case until Oct 5

The Federal High Court, Abuja, has adjourned the alleged pension fraud trial involving former Head of Service of the Federation, Stephen Oronsaye until Oct. 5.

At the resumed hearing in the case on Thursday, Oronsaye was cross-examined by the prosecution counsel, Mr Oluwaleke Atolagbe.

The former Head of Service reiterated that he was both Principal Secretary and Permanent Secretary, State House and that he was appointed head of service in 2009.

When asked why he remained a signatory to an account he handled even while he longer worked at the state house, Oronsaye told the court that the then president asked him to continue managing the account.

The judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo thereafter adjourned the matter until Oct. 5, Oct. 6 and Oct. 7 and ordered parties to obtain records of the proceedings in the case so far.

Oronsaye and his co-defendants are standing trial on charges of money laundering involving N2 billion.

One of such documents tendered was a judgment that convicted and jailed Abdulrasheed Maina, a former chairperson of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT).

Tilde, a Compliance Officer with Zenith Bank Plc, however, told the court that Oronsaye was at no time a signatory to the federal pension accounts.

Oronsaye, on opening his defense, accused the anti-graft agency of deliberately witch-hunting him following a presentation he made before the National Assembly while he was still in office.

He told the court that he ran into trouble after he defended an Executive Bill on the EFCC at a point when the commission itself mounted strong opposition against the said bill.

According to him, shortly after he returned to his office at the end of his presentation at the national assembly, the anti-graft agency, summoned him to its office.