The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Thursday arraigned the self-styled Director-General (DG) of the alleged “non-existent” Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, on a 22-count charge relating to forgery and impersonation.

Adeyemi, who has been in detention since July 14, was docked before Justice Halilu Yusuf of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama.

The ICPC alleged that the defendant, while passing himself off as a public servant, obtained over N27 billion to start the fake agency.

He was also alleged to have dubiously obtained another N3.8 billion for personnel costs.

The prosecution told the court that Adeyemi also obtained funds through a forged document addressed to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

It alleged that the defendant forged documents purportedly signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, which he claimed appointed him Director-General of PFIPC, and used them to occupy government office facilities at the Federal Secretariat Complex Phase III, Abuja.

Besides, Adeyemi was accused of forging a document addressed to the Accountant-General of the Federation, captioned “RE: REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF SELF-ACCOUNTING STATUS”, for the non-existent agency to operate within the government financial reporting structure.

He was said to have forwarded forged documents to the DG of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to get a domain name for the agency.

The defendant was also accused of gifting N210,000, without official authorisation, to one Aminu Abdullahi, an Assistant Chief Technical Officer in the Office of the Secretary General of the Federation (OSGF), “to facilitate the allocation of office space.”