Ex-NIMASA DG, Omatseye bags five-year jail term over N1.5bn Contract scam

Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos yesterday sentenced former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Raymond Omatseye to a five-year jail term over N1.5 billion contract scam.

Omatseye was charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC on a 27-counts charge bordering on bid rigging and contract splitting. Chief Godwin Obla (SAN) appeared as lead counsel for the EFCC, while Mr Edoka Oneyeke appeared for the convict. Delivering her judgment yesterday, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia found Omatseye guilty in 24 out of the 27 counts preferred against him but discharged and acquitted him in three counts bordering on bid rigging.

The Judge found Omatseye guilty of the offence of awarding contracts above stipulated threshold. In her judgement, the Judge held that “in the instant charge, the defendant testified in his evidence in chief that he was released on administrative bail and asked to come back the following day and in his statement, he responded that his threshold for supply was N2.5 million.

“Furthermore, his statement was corroborated by Pw2 and Pw3; Pw2 stated in his testimony that in line with the Public Procurement Act, the Chief Executive officer had a threshold of N2.5 million for goods and N5 million for works. “From the foregoing, I find that the exhibit PD 16 A-Y are all above the threshold and approved limit of the DG; that means, they are all above N2.5 million.

“The testimony of Pw2 and Pw3 that the approved threshold of the defendant on goods and services was N2.5million does not only corroborate the statement of the defendant, but totally lends credence to the threshold limit applicable on the defendant as DG of NIMASA. “I find that the threshold as contained in exhibit PD 16 Z is applicable to the defendant, setting his limit as N2.5 million for procurement of goods, and N5 million for procurement of services.

“A calm perusal of exhibit PD 16 series reveals that they are repetitive awards of contract for the supply of goods approved by the defendant in his position as DG of NIMASA.’’