Stella Oduah, who previously held the position of Minister of Aviation, has filed a plea bargain application in relation to fraud charges of N2.5 billion against her, as disclosed by the prosecution at the FCT High Court in Abuja on Thursday, February 12.
Rotimi Oyedepo, the Director of Public Prosecution, informed the court that this application was received by the Attorney-General of the Federation in accordance with Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
"The case is set for the start of trial, but while the prosecution was preparing, the Attorney-General received an application from the first defendant regarding discussions. This aligns with Section 270 of the ACJA 2015," remarked Oyedepo.
Although the specifics of the application were not discussed in open court, Section 270 of the ACJA regulates plea bargaining during federal criminal proceedings, detailing the conditions for such negotiations.
Both Oduah and her co-defendant, Gloria Odita, were present along with their legal representatives. Oduah’s lawyer, Tobechukwu Michael, confirmed that the application was submitted, and Wale Balogun, counsel for Odita, acknowledged the situation.
Oyedepo informed the court about ongoing discussions and asked for a date for either a status update or the commencement of the trial. Justice Hamza Muazu then scheduled the case for March 5.
Plea bargaining is an agreement where a defendant can plead guilty, potentially to lesser charges or fewer counts, in exchange for benefits such as a reduced sentence or the dropping of certain charges. Section 270 of the ACJA allows the prosecution to receive or propose a plea bargain directly from the defendant or through their legal counsel.
This law establishes conditions to prevent misuse of the process, allowing plea bargains where evidence is insufficient to prove the case decisively, where the defendant agrees to return illicit gains or make restitution, or where cooperation occurs in conspiracy cases. It also mandates that the process serves justice, public interest, and policy, and sometimes involves the victim or their representative.
Previously, on December 10, 2025, the Attorney-General of the Federation charged Oduah and Odita with five counts related to fraud involving N2.5 billion. The allegations state that in January 2014, the defendants fraudulently acquired N2,469,030,738.9 from the Ministry of Aviation via Broad Waters Resource Nigeria Limited and Global Offshore Marine Limited through deceit.
The funds were purportedly claimed as payments for services in "technical supervision and security integrated logistics support services," which the prosecution argues the defendants were aware were not genuine. The charges fall under Sections 8(a) and 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.
In another case, Oduah is also involved in a separate money laundering trial amounting to N5 billion before the Federal High Court in Abuja. She faces this charge alongside Odita and the Chinese construction firm CCECC Nigeria Limited, as well as other individuals and companies.
The 25-count charge, filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on December 17, 2020, centers on claims that approximately N5,052,415,984 was laundered between February and June 2014. These charges include conspiracy to commit money laundering, handling proceeds of fraud, assisting in money laundering, and operating anonymous bank accounts.
The prosecution alleges that CCECC Nigeria Limited transferred over N2.5 billion into a “Private Banking Nominee” account between March 31 and June 6, 2014, funds that should have raised suspicion as they were known to be part of the proceeds from illegal activities. All defendants have stated their innocence regarding these allegations.
Progress in this separate trial has been slow since the initial arraignment in July 2023, hindered by various delays and procedural issues.
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to comment.
Be the first to comment on this article!