Ahmed Idris, the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation has been remanded in prison custody by a High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory over his alleged illegal diversion of public funds to the tune of N109.4 billion.
He was remanded by the court on Friday, following his arraignment on a 14-count bordering on conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering.
The trial judge, Justice A.O. Adeyemi Ajayi, also remanded other defendants in the matter, saying that they should remain in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service till Wednesday when their bail applications would be heard.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned Idris alongside three others on a 14-count of stealing and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N109, 485,572,691.9.
Others arraigned alongside Idris are Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited.
The EFCC, in a statement on Thursday, hinted that count one of the charge levelled against Idris read: “That you, Ahmed Idris between February and December, 2021 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, being a public servant by virtue of your position as the Accountant General of the Federation accepted from Olusegun Akindele, a gratification in the aggregate sum of N15,136,221,921.46 ( Fifteen Billion, One Hundred and Thirty Six Million, Two Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty One Naira and Forty Six Kobo) which sum was converted to the United States Dollars by the said Olusegun Akindele and which sum did not form part of your lawful remuneration but as a motive for accelerating the payment of 13% derivation to the nine (9) oil producing Sates in the Federation, through the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 155 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 and punishable under the same section”.