Embattled former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Dibu Ojerinde, on Tuesday, requested for plea bargaining in the N5bn fraud charges brought against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
Ojerinde pleaded with Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court Abuja to give him 24 hours to settle himself with ICPC through plea bargain instead of formal trial.
Ojerinde’s counsel, Ibrahim Ishyaku (SAN), told the court that his client would want to go for plea bargaining instead of formal trial.
He said, “My Lord, our plea is that we (should) be given 24 hours to explore the possibility of plea bargain to resolve this matter and we ask that the trial be adjourned for the period to enable us come up with our terms of settlement.”
ICPC counsel, Ebenezer Sogunle, who however did not object to the request, insisted that the trial would proceed in case the plea bargain fails.
The ICPC had on July 8, 2021, arraigned the former JAMB Registrar on an 18 charges bordering on diversion of public funds to the tune of N5bn.
He was said to have committed the offence during his tenure as Registrar of the National Examination Council and JAMB.
Ojerinde, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was later admitted to bail in the sum of N200m.
Justice Egwuatu later fixed February 9, for report of the plea bargain to be presented.