Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, sitting at the Special High Court in Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday convicted and sentenced a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Clement Iloh, to five year jail term for stealing N14.1 million belonging to the defunct Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).
Iloh was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2017 for allegedly awarding fictitious contracts to himself, using his personal company and friends while supervising numerous programmes such as the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).
One of the charges read: “That you, Clement Illoh, a.k.a Clement & Bob Associate, on or about 28th January, 2015 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court whilst still a Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of N14,176,000.00 from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and you hereby committed an offence contrary to Section 279(1)(b) & 285(6) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State No,11,2011.”
After over two years of trial, the court found Illoh guilty of the charges and convicted him accordingly.
The judge also ordered him to pay back N14million to the Federal Government.
