A professor, John Kester Ifeanyichukwu, has been charged with bribery by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Ifeanyichukwu was arraigned before A.O. Otaluka, a judge of the federal capital territory (FCT) high court, on a one-count charge, according to ICPC spokesperson Azuka Ogugwa.
The professor is accused of “giving a $40,000 check to a commission staff member,” according to the anti-graft organization.
The statement reads, ” The cheque was part of the $50,000 and a house in Abuja, promised to the officer to compromise the investigation by retrieving the accused person’s devices, MacBook S/N CIML8BUGDTY3, MacBook S/N W80204J7ATN and iPhone pro11 which were in the custody of ICPC for investigative activities.”
“John Kester Ifeanyichukwu had earlier been reported to the commission by the presidency for alleged acts bordering on corruption, extortion and money laundering.
“ICPC, in a Charge No: CR/025/2022, informed the court of how the defendant induced one of its operatives to smuggle out a particular iPhone and a laptop and to replace them with a dummy that was to be provided by his personal assistant.”
The defendant entered a not guilty plea and requested bail.When the judge heard the motion, he granted Ifeanyichukwu bail in the amount of N10 million with two sureties in the same amount.
The accused’s actions, according to the commission, violate section 18 (b) of the ICPC Act, 2000, and are penalized under section 18 (d).
