ANOTHER JUDICIAL FRAUD OF MONUMENTAL PROPORTIONS IN THE MAKING: FUEL SUBSIDY SCAMMERS WORKING OUT PLEA BARGAINS WITH EFCC? Who is authorizing all these bargains and who's interest is at stake... Yeye de smell.

Attempts by Mahmud Tukur, son of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bamanga Tukur,   to settle out of court  the fuel subsidy fraud charges filed against  him and others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have failed.

Consequently, the   Lagos High Court hearing the case in Ikeja on Wednesday fixed May 6 and 7 for the commencement of trial.

Tukur, Alex Ochongor,  their firm, Eterna Oil and Gas; and Abdullahi Alao, son of  Ibadan-based businessman, Abdulazeez Arisekola-Alao, are facing nine counts of fuel subsidy fraud amounting  to about N1.2bn.

Tukur and Ochonogor had at the previous proceedings on December 13, 2012, sought for time to conclude the settlement talks with the anti-corruption agency.

However, counsel for EFCC, Mr. Tayo Olukotun, told  the court at the resumed hearing of the matter on Wednesday that the settlement talks had “hit  brick wall”.

The position, as stated by Olukotun, was however different from that of the counsel for Tukur, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), who had earlier said the talks were awaiting the input of the EFCC’s Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde.

Responding to Onigbanjo’s enquiry about the status of the talks, Oyetibo said, “I called Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (the lead prosecuting counsel)  last week and he told me that the chairman (of EFCC) was not around.

“So we want to take a date, may be in early March, to allow us to continue the talks when the chairman returns.”

In response, Olukotun said, “what Mr. Rotimi Jacobs told me was that the talks had hit a brick wall. The instruction he gave me was that I should take a trial date”.