Chinese Men Who Offered EFCC Official N100m Bribe Have Been Dragged To Court (PHOTOS)

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Sokoto Zonal office on Friday, May 15, 2020, arraigned Meng Wei Kun and Xui Kuoni, both Chinese, before Justice Mohammed Sa’idu Sifawa of the State High Court Sokoto for allegedly attempting to bribe an EFCC officer with N50 million.

The N50 million which is in the custody of the EFCC is said to be the first tranche of the alleged N100 million bribe offered the agency official.

The Duo were arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and offering bride to the commission’s zonal head.

EFCC alleged the defendants offered a bribe to it zonal head Abdullahi Lawal to compromise the ongoing investigation into the case against the defendants’ company Zhonghao Nigeria limited.

The bribe was allegedly offered in a desperate bid to compromise ongoing investigations of their construction company, China Zhonghao Nig. Ltd, handling N50 billion contracts awarded by the Zamfara State Government between 2012 to 2019.

The charge against the duo read: “That you Mr Meng Wei Kun and Xu Kuoi some times in May 2020 at Kasarawa area, Airport Road Sokoto within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Justice Sokoto State agreed to do illegal act wit; Bribery and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 59 of the Sokoto State Penal Code Law 2019 and punishable under section 60 (2) of the same law.”

The accused pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them.

The prosecuting counsel, Musa Mela Gwani, who appeared with Habila Jonathan, asked for a date to commence trial and prayed the court for accelerated hearing.

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However, counsel to the defendant’s AA Usman told the court that he had filed bail application and urged the court to grant his prayers. Gwani acknowledged the receipt of the application but asked the court to give him time to respond to it.

Justice Sifawa adjourned the matter to May 18 for the hearing of bail application and June 15 for trial but also ordered the defendants to be remanded in EFCC custody pending the determination of their bail application.