The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Tuesday filed charges against the President of Surveyors Council of Nigeria, Joseph Agbenla, in an FCT High Court, Zuba.
Mr Agbenla is accused of diverting N4.9 million meant for official assignments into his personal use.
The ICPC said that Agbenla on December 19, 2017, “being a public officer with the Surveyors Council of Nigeria conferred corrupt advantage upon yourself when you received the sum of N2.5 million paid into your Guarantee Trust Bank Account Number 0108278960 through a bank transfer from one Ezekiel Okunola on behalf of the council as Duty Tour Allowance (DTA).”
It added that the DTA was for a monitoring and evaluation exercise to the South-South region but he allegedly failed to embark on the said tour, claiming to have used the money for other personal purposes.
The alleged offence inter alia, ICPC says, is punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act 2000.
The ICPC said in count two: “That you Surveyor Joseph Olorunjuwon Agbenla, on 19 April 2018, conferred corrupt advantage upon yourself when you received the sum of N2,410, 000 through your Guarantee Trust Bank Account Number 0108278960 through a bank transfer from one Ezekiel Okunolaon behalf of the council.
“The money was to enable you attend the 2018 International Federation of Surveyors Conference in Turkey which you failed to attend rather claimed to have used the money for other personal purposes you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 19 of the ICPC Act 2000.”
Defence counsel, O. Poroye, apologised for the absence of the defendant in court on Tuesday.
He informed the court that the defendant was involved in an accident in Lagos.
Mr Poroye, therefore, made an oral application for the court to adjourn the matter to enable the defendant appears in court for arraignment on the next adjourned date.
Justice A. O Ebong adjourned the matter until February 10 for arraignment.
