ICPC arraigns professor over $40,000 bribe

A professor, John Kester Ifeanyichukwu, has been charged with bribery by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Ifeanyichukwu was arraigned before A.O. Otaluka, a judge of the federal capital territory (FCT) high court, on a one-count charge, according to ICPC spokeswoman Azuka Ogugwa.

The professor is accused of “giving a $40,000 check to a commission staff member,” according to the anti-graft organization.

“The cheque was part of the $50,000 and a house in Abuja, promised to the officer to compromise the investigation by retrieving the accused person’s devices, MacBook S/N CIML8BUGDTY3, MacBook S/N W80204J7ATN and iPhone pro11 which were in the custody of ICPC for investigative activities,” the statement reads.

“John Kester Ifeanyichukwu had earlier been reported to the commission by the presidency for alleged acts bordering on corruption, extortion and money laundering.

“ICPC, in a Charge No: CR/025/2022, informed the court of how the defendant induced one of its operatives to smuggle out a particular iPhone and a laptop and to replace them with a dummy that was to be provided by his personal assistant.”

The accused’s actions, according to the commission, violate section 18 (b) of the ICPC Act, 2000, and are penalized under section 18 (d).

The defendant entered a not guilty plea and requested bail.

When the court heard the motion, he granted Ifeanyichukwu bail in the amount of N10 million with two sureties.

The sureties must be inhabitants of the court’s jurisdiction, with one having a landed property in Abuja.

The accused’s international passport and other valid travel documents must be provided to the court before the next postponed date, according to the judge.

The case was rescheduled for a hearing on June 21, 2022.