Welcome to Geophilworld's blog: 12/31/15

Thursday 31 December 2015

Sex Scandal: Bill Cosby's Bail Set at $1 Million

Bill Cosby appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, where he was formally arraigned on one charge of aggravated indecent assault. The charge is considered a second degree felony and carries a maximum penalty of 5-10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

The 78-year-old appeared somber, wearing a gray sweater and holding a cane as he arrived via a black SUV for the arraignment. He was accompanied by a woman who appeared to be his lawyer, Monique Pressley, and shook his head when asked by reporters if he'd like to say anything. At one point, Cosby tripped over a curb on his way inside the courthouse. His wife, Camille Cosby, did not accompany him to court.

Video cameras were not allowed inside, where Cosby's passport was turned over. Cosby's bail was set at $1 million. He was required to post 10 percent of that amount to be set free.
Prosecutors in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, announced the charge early Wednesday morning, shortly before the statute of limitations on an alleged 2004 incident was to have run out.

Former Temple employee Andrea Constand alleges that the comedian drugged and violated her at his mansion in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, more than a decade ago. According to authorities, the charges filed on Wednesday are a result of new information that came to light beginning in July 2015, when a federal judge unsealed a 2015 deposition in the case.

After determining the statute of limitations regarding the potential criminal offense had not yet expired -- which is 12 years -- an investigation was reopened.

In March 2005, Constand filed civil charges against Cosby. Thirteen unidentified women agreed to serve as Jane Doe witnesses to testify that they too were sexually assaulted by Cosby, but the case was settled out of court for an unspecified amount in November 2006, and the 13 witnesses didn't get the chance to take the stand.

According to court documents obtained by ET in June, Cosby admitted that he obtained Quaaludes to give to women that he was looking to have sex with in the 2005 deposition in Constand's case.
This will mark the first criminal charges against Cosby, after more than 50 women have accused him of drugging and/or sexually assaulting them. He has denied all wrongdoing.

Earlier this month, Cosby's attorney said that the embattled star was taking legal action against several women who have accused him of sexual misconduct. Pressley referred to the women's allegations as "malicious, opportunistic and false and defamatory."

On Wednesday, Cosby's attorneys gave a statement to ET, saying, "The charge by the Montgomery County District Attorney's office came as no surprise, filed 12 years after the alleged incident and coming on the heels of a hotly contested election for this county's DA during which this case was made the focal point.

Make no mistake, we intend to mount a vigorous defense against this unjustified charge and we expect that Mr. Cosby will be exonerated by a court of law."

Teens Stripped Naked For Stealing In Delta State (See Photo)

Two young chaps, Onyi a.k.a Alhaji (right) and his friend (left) saw the other side of the youths in Illah community, Delta state, after they stole chairs and couch from a well known business man in Umuogbu Village in Illah.

See the stolen items displayed in the photo above. They were Stripped naked publicly with residents making fun of them. Though they were not beaten by the mob, they were later released and instructed to apologise to the owner.

11 Questions Okonjo-Iweala Must Answer On $5bn Abacha Loot – SERAP

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has rejected the accusation of political agenda by the immediate-past Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, saying that “the issue of how over $5 billion recovered Abacha loots were spent under her watch deserves serious attention”

In a statement on Sunday by SERAP executive director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organisation said that, “By making unfounded allegations against SERAP, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala has provided little more than an unhelpful distraction, which can only serve to undermine genuine efforts to promote transparency and accountability in Nigeria, the country that she claims to love so dearly”.

Last week, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala described the call by SERAP for her probe over the spending of the Abacha loot as a politically-sponsored action; that SERAP is compromised; that SERAP is a tool for reprehensible, corrupt vested interests; and that the returned Abacha loot was properly appropriated and channelled into roads, electricity, education, water and health across all six geo-political zones of Nigeria.

The response by the organisation reads in part: “As a public trust, SERAP has an important role to play in revealing the discrepancies between the World Bank documents and the clear lack of access of millions of Nigerians to quality education, adequate healthcare, clean water, safe roads and regular electricity supply during the period covered by the documents”.

“If she truly loves Nigeria, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala should have come out to say exactly how the over $5 billion of Abacha loot was spent under her watch. Trying to dodge responsibility for the spending of our commonwealth or attacking SERAP that is trying to get to the bottom of what happened to the funds is a betrayal of that love. Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala should not be immune from accountability for what happened to Abacha recovered loot just because she is no longer in government”.

“If the aim of these allegations is to bully us into stopping our work to seek accountability on the spending of over $5 billion recovered Abacha loot, then it has failed, as SERAP will never back down in its pursuit of justice in the face of such attack”.

“These new allegations echo those that Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala made against us in March to divert attention from SERAP freedom of information suit on the spending of N30 trillion by the former government of President Goodluck Jonathan.

SERAP has fully responded to these allegations. SERAP’s credibility is exemplified by the fact of several awards it has received nationally and internationally including nomination for the UN civil society award in 2008; nomination for the Ford Foundation Jubilee Transparency Award for 2011, and the Wole Soyinka Anti-Corruption Defender Award SERAP received in 2014”.

“As we continue to study the documents received from the World Bank, we have identified 11 questions that Nigerians would like Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to answer as a matter of priority”.

1. “The World Bank confirmed that of the 51 projects reviewed, 23 were described as “completed”, 26 were at various stages of completion, and 2 were described as “abandoned”. Nigerians would like Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to show us evidence of the 23 projects allegedly completed, and whether the 26 projects where actually completed; and what became of the 2 abandoned projects”.

2. “The World Bank confirmed that 6 out of 8 health centres reviewed pertained to physical infrastructure but were not completed. Nigerians would like Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to explain why these projects were not completed on time, and whether in fact they were completed at all; as well as location of completed projects”.

“Nigerians would also like Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to explain the letter she wrote to the Ambassador of Switzerland to Nigeria January 9, 2005 that of the 174 health centres built with Abacha funds, 138 were fully functional and that remaining 36 were expected to be commissioned in January 2005. Nigerians would appreciate it if Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala could identify and name all the health centres mentioned in her letter”.

3. “As regards power projects, the World Bank confirmed that payments by government to contractors could not be verified “because in most cases contact information for contractors was not available,” and that 10 of the 18 power projects pertained to physical electrical installations. Nigerians would like Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to identify and name the 10 installations, and to provide contact details of the contractors that executed the projects”.

4. “The World Bank confirmed that most of the recovered funds were used to repay domestic borrowing. Nigerians would like Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to explain how much exactly was involved as a part of 2004 annual budget execution in anticipation of the repatriation of the looted funds in 2004, as well as repayment terms of the funds and from which banks”.

5. “The World Bank confirmed that the government opened a special US dollar account for recovered funds with the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, to which various transfers of Abacha loot were made. The World Bank also confirmed that some $50 million was received before 2005 which was kept in the special account. Nigerians would like Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to explain how much was left in the account by the time she left office in May”.

6. “The World Bank confirmed that the data on inflows of recovered funds are broadly identical but that there was one material discrepancy, which was unexplained. The Bank also said the information it received from the government ‘does not contain a reference to the transfer of $5.2 mn in August of 2006.’ Nigerians would like Mrs Okonjo-Iweala to explain the material discrepancy, and why the transfer of $5.2 mn was not disclosed to the Bank”.

7. “The World Bank confirmed that Abacha returned loot was used as source of 2005 budget deficit financing, and that the funds were directed to co-financing of capital expenditure and balancing the 2005 budget. Nigerians would like Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to explain exactly the capital expenditure involved”.

8. “The World Bank confirmed that the Abacha funds were used to provide additional financing for the Universal Basic Education (UBE) program in the amount of NGN24.25 bn to support basic education throughout the country. This amount was fully disbursed and fully utilized. Nigerians would like Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to identify the number and location of schools which benefited from these funds at the time”.

9. “The World Bank confirmed that there were problems with collecting project-related information because of under-developed reporting and accounting standards, and absence of properly set-up databases for sectoral project portfolios; and weak administrative capacity in the ministry of finance. Nigerians would like Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to explain why this was the case under her watch”.

10. “The World Bank confirmed that 13 road projects were completed including 3 of the largest road and bridge projects in each geo-political zone. Also, the Bank regretted that it was not possible to interview many contractors in order to obtain independent confirmation of amounts spent on individual projects, and record their comments on project status. Nigerians would like Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to explain exactly happened, and to identify unconfirmed individual projects, including the largest roads and bridges completed”.

11. “ The World Bank confirmed that no special arrangements were made for project selection and monitoring. According to the Bank, ‘Given the weakness of general budget reporting systems at the moment, this decision greatly undermined the opportunity for tracking the returned Abacha funds and analysis of their utilization’. Nigerians would like Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to explain why this was the case under her watch”.

Embattled Speaker Kogi Assembly sues for peace

The embattled Speaker of Kogi Assembly, Rt (Hon) Momoh-Jimoh Lawal made the call for peace on the floor of the House during the presentation of the 2016 Budget by the state Governor, Capt. Idris Wada on Tuesday.

The Speaker described the members as elder statesmen and patriots who should not sacrifice the interest of the state on the altar of selfish interests.

“As elder statesmen and patriots, I wish to appeal that we sheath our swords and close ranks to move the state forward. As members of one house and one family, we cannot do without having misunderstanding among ourselves.

“What we must always guide against is a situation where we allow rancour and bitterness to linger on and our differences unresolved.
Lawal added “As trustees and representatives of the people, much is expected of us by the electorate. We cannot afford to sacrifice the interest of the state at the altar of personal and selfish interests.

“Rather than bickering here and there and heating up the polity, we should rather unite and work together to ensure that the unity of the state is maintained.”

He said that it was time to unite rather than divide describing the state as a collective patrimony and urged members to guard against being used by external forces to jeopardise the peace and stability of the state.

On the 2016 budget presented by the governor to 10 of the 25-member House, Lawal said that members present formed a quorum, and the bill would undergo necessary legislative process before passage.

President Buhari’ll not shield APC members who misuse security votes —Lai Mohammed

The minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed has said that any high profile member of the ruling APC involved in the alleged misuse of security funds, will not be shielded by the Federal Government.

At a session with media men in Lagos, yesterday, the minister cited the administration’s unwillingness to risk the lives of the kidnapped Chibok girls for the restraint in taking the final blow to the Boko Haram insurgents in Sambisa forest.

While calling on the media not to glamourise the insurgents in their activities, Mohammed defended the administration’s proposals to expend N3.6 billion on the purchase of BMW cars in fiscal 2016.

Daring the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to move beyond speculations to name any APC member involved in the alleged misuse of security funds, the minister said calls by the PDP to constitute a truth commission to probe the utilisation of security funds were unnecessary given that all the confessions made by those involved in the alleged deal were undisputed.

“We do not see the nexus between the revelation coming out now and a truth commission,” Mohammed said, adding that the call by the PDP on the president to reveal the source of his campaign fund was wrongly directed.

He said: “What the PDP is looking for is just distractions. If there is any allegation against any member of the APC, make the allegation open. All we are hearing are whispers. If there is evidence provide them in the open.”

On purchase of BMW cars
Mohammed also restated the determination of the Buhari administration to maintain the path of frugality as he dismissed insinuations that the proposal to purchase N3.6 billion worth of cars was misdirected. He said the proposal could have been meant for the Conference Visitors Unit, which is responsible for shepherding visiting foreign leaders.

“It is quite possible that some of the BMW cars being referred to are for the use of the VIPs. What I can assure you is that this government is very prudent in its spending. I can tell you that no minister bought a new car, all of us inherited the cars used by our predecessors. This is the last government that you can accuse of extravagance,” the minister said.

Why we’ve not brought back Chibok girls
Mohammed also reaffirmed that the military has realised its objective of suppressing the insurgency, saying that most of the area occupied by the insurgents have been liberated.

He said that the remaining two local government areas under the control of the insurgents were in the thick of the Sambisa Forest as he disclosed that the military was being cautious because of the kidnapped girls from Chibok and other victims of the insurgents that may suffer collateral damage.

Noting that the insurgents were now contained to attack soft targets such as markets, motor parks, mosques, churches and entertainment centres, killing innocent men, women and children, he said:
“Not unexpectedly, the dying and desperate insurgents have carried out some attacks on soft targets in the North-East during this festive season.

“This is cowardly, dastardly and condemnable. We commiserate with the state governments and the families of those who died or were injured in the attacks which, as I said earlier, are like the death pangs of a dying horse.

“These attacks are part of the propaganda that has been launched by Boko Haram and their fellow terrorists, ISIS, to seek to remain relevant in the face of massive routing by our gallant troops, and to also discredit our committed and patriotic troops. But the attacks do not shake our resolve a bit, in our determined quest to rid our nation of terrorists and ensure the security of our citizens.

“The fact that Boko Haram has continued to carry out attacks on soft targets is not an indication that they still have capacity. As I have said many times, the attacks will not end with the expiration of the deadline, since insurgencies are not conventional warfares in which the guns could be silenced with an armistice. But I also said that the attacks will taper off with time, with better awareness among the citizenry and enhanced intelligence gathering by the security agencies.”

Akwa-Ibom State Assembly elects first female Deputy Speaker

History was made yesterday as Mrs. Felicia Bassey, representing Okobo state constituency and Chair Person, House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Welfare Matters, was elected as the first Deputy Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.

In a statement released yesterday in Uyo, the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr. Kufre Okon, said Bassey emerged the first female Deputy Speaker during Tuesday’s plenary, to replace the former Deputy Speaker, Mr. Effiong Bassey, representing Oron/Udung Uko state constituency, whose election was nullified last week by the Appeal Court in Abuja.

The Speaker, Mr. Onofiok Luke, who administered the oath of office on the new Deputy Speaker encouraged her to live up to the expectation of the sixth Assembly while discharging her legislative duties.

The statement added that other members said that the position was well deserved, and expressed confidence in her ability to discharge the functions of the office to its fullest potentials.