EFCC Re-arrests John Yusuf For N32.8bn Pension Fraud, Court Reviews Sentence

By Matthew Ogune, Abuja

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), have re-arrested a former Assistant Director in the Federal Civil Service, John Yakubu Yusuf,  who has been on the run since 2018 after the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, sentenced him to six years imprisonment and a fine of N22.9billion for conniving with five other suspects to steal N32.8billion Police Pension Fund.

EFCC Spokesperson Dele Oyewale who disclosed this in Abuja said based on his re-arrest, Justice Baba Yusuf of the FCT High Court on Monday, June 22, 2020, issued a remand order that will enable him serve his six years jail term in Kuje Correctional Service, Abuja.

Yusuf is one of the six federal civil servants facing prosecution for allegedly stealing N32.8billion Police Pension Fund.

He was initially convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment with an option of fine  of N750, 000 (Seven Hundred Thousand Naira only)  by a Federal Capital Territory High Court presided over by Justice Abubakar Talba, in a plea-bargain arrangement.

The conviction, considered to be a slap on the wrist, sparked national and international outrage.

The EFCC, dissatisfied with the judgment of the trial court, approached the appellate court to set aside the judgment.

Ruling on the substantive matter, the Justices of the Court of Appeal held unanimously that the three counts involving  Yusuf (Counts 17, 18 and 19) clearly stated the amounts he  converted for his personal use. He pleaded guilty to the three counts and thereby admitted to the conversion of an aggregate sum of about N24billion to his personal use.

The court stressed that the sentence of the trial court, did not serve as deterrence to both the convict and others. Consequently, the justices ruled that the sentence is “hereby quashed and deserves to be reviewed as follows: on Counts 17, the Respondent is hereby sentenced to two years imprisonment with an addition of fine of N20billion Naira; on Counts 18, the Respondent is hereby sentenced to two years imprisonment with an addition of fine of N1.4billion Naira; on counts 19, the respondent is hereby sentenced to two years imprisonment with an addition of fine of 1.5billion Naira.  The sentence of imprisonment is to run consecutively and the fine is to be cumulative.”