>
By Emmanuel Adeleke
A Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced the governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Senator Albert Bassey, to 42 years in prison for fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in 2019, arraigned Bassey on a six-count charge of taking possession of six vehicles worth N204 million when he was Commissioner of Finance in the state.
He was said to have collected one of the vehicles from Jide Omokore, an associate of the former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Omokore reportedly had dealings with the state when he offered Albert the vehicles.
Delivering judgement on Thursday, Justice Agatha Okeke, found the Senator guilty of the offences.
He was subsequently sentenced to Ikot Ekpene prison to serve his jail term.
Bassey, a serving senator representing Akwa Ibom North East, was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He, however, defected to the YPP in July, where he secured the party’s ticket for the 2023 governorship election.
