Cletus Ibeto, the chairman of Ibeto Energy Development Company, is in hot water as he faces 10 counts of fraud, conspiracy, forgery and document falsification, amounting to N4.8bn. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says Ibeto has been begging them to drop the charges and settle the case out of court.
But Ibeto’s plea may be too little, too late, as he has repeatedly snubbed the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, where he was supposed to be arraigned. Justice Ismail Ijelu, who was fed up with Ibeto’s no-shows, issued a warrant for his arrest on November 3, 2023. Ibeto had failed to appear before the court four times, even though he had been duly notified.
Ibeto, however, did not give up and ran to the Appeal Court, hoping to quash the arrest warrant. His lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), along with two other senior lawyers, Uche Obi (SAN) and Bode Olanipekun (SAN), told the court that they were ready to argue their case.
But the EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), had a different story. He said Ibeto had come to the EFCC, seeking a plea bargain deal and offering to refund the money he had allegedly swindled from Daniel Chukwudozie, the complainant in the case.
The Appeal Court, led by Justice Muhammed Mustapha, decided to give Ibeto a chance to make amends and adjourned the case till May 7, 2024. The other judges on the panel were Justice Folashade Ojo and Justice Abdullahi Bayero.