FG reduces charges against foremost anti-corruption icon, HEDA Chair, Suraju

FG reduces charges against foremost anti-corruption icon, HEDA Chair Suraju

By Saliu Adeyemi

The Federal Government has dropped two out of four charges brought against Nigeria’s leading anti-graft icon, Mr Olanrewaju Suraju. The Nigerian government charges against HEDA, a group that has received global praises for raising red flag against corruption, have pummeled the image of authorities in Abuja in the international community

A former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke had sued the Chairman, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, (HEDA Resource Centre) Mr Suraju on alleged Cyberstalking, a case that continues to generate global outcries amidst widespread believe that the HEDA Chairman is facing local resistance led by corruption actors associated with the Malabu oil scam.

Last weekend, the prosecution counsel, Mr Bagudu Sani told the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that the Government has half the charges from four to two.

In the amended charge, Suraju was accused of circulating an audio telephone interview alleged to have occurred between one Mrs. Carlamaria Rumor, a reporter with RIA in Italy and Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), on social media.

Suraju pleaded not guilty to the two counts brought against him when the charges were read to him by the court registrar. The defense Counsel Mr Muiz Banire, (SAN) urged the court to grant Mr Suraju bail on self recognition. Suraju has been attending the court session from Lagos at a huge personal cost.

Justice Binta Nyanko, on Suraju’s the bail application held that Suraju should be released to his lawyer on his own recognizance. He asked Mr Banire to deposit the sum of N7 million cheque with the court registrar.

Court documents indicated the charges that Suraju circulated audio telephone interview alleged to have occurred between one Ms. Carlamaria, a journalist with RIA Reporter in Italy and Mr Mohammed Adoke via Twitter handle said to be false and that the same audio was also circulated through the HEDA facebook account.

In the charges, he was also accused to have “intentionally circulate an email dated 21 st June, 2011 alleged to have been sent with the email address [email protected] owned by A Group Proper ies and received by a  BäYöÄ)ÄMith the email-address  bayo.o.osoluke@jpmorgan which you knew to be false via your Twitter handle @HEDAagenda for the purpose of causing insult to Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke SAN and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, ETC) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Section of the Act.

The fourth count held that  he did intentionally circulate an email dated 21 st June, 2011 alleged to have been sent with the email address [email protected] owned by A Group Properties and received by a certain Osoluke Bayo. O with the email address bayo.o.osoluke@jpmorgan which you knew to be false via your Facebook handle @HEDAResourcecentre for the purpose of causing insult to Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke SAN and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, ETC) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Section of the Act.”

Council to HEDA Chairman, Muiz Banire (SAN) revealed that for lack of proof, the prosecutor who helplessly trashed Two (2) of the charges and came up with a new charge thus:

COUNT ONE:

That you OLANR?WAJU SURAJU, Male, of 20, Mojidi Street, Ikeja Lagos sometime in 2018, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did intentionally circulate an audio telephone interview alleged to have occurred between one Ms. Carlamaria Rumor a reporter with RIA Reporter in Italy and Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke SAN via your Twitter handle @HEDAagenda which  you knew to be false for the purpose of causing insult to Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke SAN and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, ETC) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Section of the Act.

The Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit had in April 2021 detained Suraju at the Force headquarters for allegedly sharing media reports on the $1 billion Malabu oil deal. JP Morgan Chase Bank had also released fresh documents which indicted Adoke and were admitted as evidence which included an electronic mail sent by him on June 21, 2011.

The bank released the documents to a United Kingdom court, the High Court of Justice, Business and Property Courts of England and Wales after the investigation was done by the Special Fraud Office, London, under Director Lisa Osofosky. The documents confirm that contrary to Adoke’s claim of forgery against the NGOs and Italian prosecutors, the documents emanated from JP Morgan and the UK court.

JP Morgan Chase Bank was accused by the Nigerian government of sending $801 million to the bank account of Malabu in Nigeria without appropriate authorisation from Nigeria.  Adoke and six others are standing trial over alleged fraud in the oil deal.