The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has requested the death certificate of Grace Taiga, the former Director of Legal at the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
On November 4, 2023, Taiga’s counsel, Daniel Alumun, informed the Federal Capital Territory High Court that his client had died.
Taiga was on trial before Justice Olukayode Adeniyi on allegations of bribery in the Gas Supply Processing Agreement between Process and Industrial Development and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
At the hearing of the case on November 4, 2023, counsel for Taiga, told the court that the defendant passed on on August 1, 2023, at a hospital in Abuja and begged the court to dismiss the matter.
Not satisfied with the claim, the counsel for the EFCC, Mohammed Hussain, insisted that Tiaga’s death certificate must be produced before the court as stipulated by law.
Taiga’s counsel pleaded with the court to give him more time to get the certificate, adding that her death certificate was not yet ready.
Justice Adeniyi, however, adjourned until March 6, for further report on the death certificate.
Grace Taiga was first arraigned on Sept 20, 2019, before the court on eight charges. On October 3, 2020, the EFCC increased the charges to 11 and again amended the charges to 13 on January 10, 2021.
In the 13-count amended charge preferred against her, Taiga was accused of receiving a bribe through her offshore bank account in signing the controversial GPSA.
EFCC further claimed that she violated various laws by entering into the Agreement without prior approval by the Federal Executive Council and a certificate of no objection to the contract from the Bureau of Public Enterprise.
She, however, pleaded not guilty to the allegations preferred against her.