By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA- Former Director of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, Maigada Shuaibu, former Chief Executive Officer of M-Tel, Edwin Moore Momife, ex-General Manager of Finance in NITEL, Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Ossai and a former Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Power and Steel, Mahmood Sadiq Mohammed, were Tuesday arraigned before an Abuja high court sitting at Wuse Zone 2, for allegedly receiving bribes from a multi-national German firm, Siemens Limited.

The quartet who took-turns to enter plea of ‘not guilty’ to the entire 16-counts charge preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were equally granted bail on self recognition by Justice Danlami Senchi.

Justice Senchi before fixing January 31 and February 1, 2010, to hear the substantive case against them, further stressed that none of the accused persons should travel out of the country without permission from the federal government, adding that failure of any of them to appear in court at any of the hearing dates would amount to a revocation of the bail granted to them yesterday.

In the 16-count amended charge filed against them by the EFCC, the four accused persons were alleged to have received for themselves and their family members, air tickets to attend FIFA World Cup in Germany, in addition to receiving frequent sponsored trips to Germany for medical check-ups.

The anti-graft agency insisted that the company made an arrangement with a hospital at Stiftung Deutsche Klinik Fuer Diagnostik Gmbh, International Patientenservice, Aukammalle 33, 65191, Wiesbaden, Germany, where it said both the accused persons and their relations visited frequently between 2002 and 2006.

The offences they allegedly committed were said to have contravened section 96 of the Penal Code Cap 532 LFN (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under section 119 of the same Code.

It will be recalled that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minster of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, SAN, on Monday, invoked his powers under section 174 of the 1999 constitution, to order the EFCC to terminate the criminal case it had initiated against Siemens AG, its subsidiary in Nigeria and four of its principal staff involved in the bribery scandal.

The case against the company was withdrawn after it agreed to pay fine of N7 billion to the federal government.