P&ID Scam: EFCC Demands Grace Taiga’s Death Certificate

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has demanded to see the death certificate of the former Director of Legal, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Grace Taiga.

Gatekeepers News reports that on November 4, 2023, Taiga’s lawyer, Daniel Alumun, informed the Federal Capital Territory High Court that his client had died.

Taiga was standing trial before Justice Olukayode Adeniyi on allegations bordering on bribery in the controversial Gas Supply Processing Agreement between Process and Industrial Development and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The ex-petroleum resources boss was first arraigned on Sept 20, 2019, before the court in the case, marked, FCT/HC/CR/504/19 on eight charges.

On October 3, 2020, the anti-graft agency increased the charges to 11 and again amended the charges to 13 on January 10, 2021.

The Commission first amended the charge against the defendant on October 3, 2020, to 11 counts and later further amended it to 13 counts on January 10, 2021.

However, in the 13-count amended charge preferred against her by the EFCC, Taiga was accused of receiving a bribe through her offshore bank account in signing the controversial GPSA.

The Commission further claimed that she violated various laws by entering into the Agreement without prior approval by the Federal Executive Council, FEC, and a certificate of no objection to the contract from the Bureau of Public Enterprise.

Taiga, however, pleaded not guilty to the allegations preferred against her.

The prosecution subsequently called eight witnesses to testify against the defendant and closed its case on Feb. 27, 2023.

Afterwards, the court directed the defendant to open her defence on the next adjourned date.

At the hearing of the case on November 4, 2023, counsel for Taiga, Alumun, told the court that the defendant passed on on August 1, 2023, at a hospital in Abuja and urged the court to dismiss the matter.

The case was, however, adjourned till Wednesday.

Not satisfied with the claim, the counsel for the EFCC, Mohammed Hussain, insisted that Tiaga’s death certificate must be produced before the court.

Taiga’s counsel, who pleaded with the court to give him more time to get the certificate, added that her death certificate was not yet ready.

Hussain rose again and said, “My lord, the certificate must be brought to the court as stipulated by the law before any decision can be taken. ”

Justice Adeniyi, however, adjourned until March 6, for further report on the death certificate.