Former Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, has expressed readiness to refund money allegedly taken from government funds as part of efforts to settle a ₦2.5 billion fraud case through a plea bargain.
The development came up on Thursday during proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Oduah and her co-defendant indicated their interest in negotiating a settlement with the Federal Government.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that the defendants had approached the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to begin discussions on a plea agreement.
Oyedepo said part of the proposed arrangement involves refunding money believed to have been illegally obtained.
“They have started making moves to return some amount of money to the government. What remains is confirmation that the bank draft has been received,” he said.
Oduah’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, confirmed that talks on the settlement were ongoing. The lawyer representing the second defendant, Favour Osuanya, also told the court that negotiations were in progress.
The presiding judge, Hamza Muazu, later adjourned the case until March 26 to receive an update on the discussions.
Oduah and her co-defendant, Gloria Odita, were earlier arraigned over an alleged ₦2.4 billion fraud linked to contracts awarded during Oduah’s time as aviation minister in 2014.
Prosecutors claim the defendants worked together to obtain about ₦2.469 billion from the Federal Ministry of Aviation through two companies, claiming the money was meant for “technical supervision” and “security and logistics support services.”
The government also alleged that Oduah approved the transfer of funds meant for a security contract in a manner that violated her official responsibilities.