The Economics and Financial Commission, EFCC, on Thursday was granted permission by an Abuja High Court to arraign Honourable Herman Hembe, the former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Capital Market who stepped down from the position after he was fingered in a N44 million bribery scandal with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

According to reports, Justice Abubakar Umar also gave the crime-fighting body the green light to arraign the former Vice Chairman of the committee, Chris Azubogu, over corruption charges.

Counsel for the EFCC, Mr. Onjekwu Obe, reportedly filed an application that will allow the commission slam a two-count criminal charge against the duo. The lawyer added that “names and addresses of the witnesses, statements of the witnesses and that of the two accused persons and other documentary evidences” were included in the application as well.

The judge, in his ruling based on the evidence given, said the application “has merit” and granted the EFCC’s request to arraign the duo on Thursday, May 17.

Following the ruling, Obe told the press that the EFCC plans to forge ahead with a two-count charge bordering on misappropriation of public funds. Hembe and Azubogu, the lawyer said, are believed to have a hand in the N44 million fraud allegation that hit the House committee investigating the Capital Market crash.

Director General of the SEC, Ms. Arunma Oteh, had question the former committee chairman’s credibility, further accusing him of demanding bribes from her prior to the probe session.

Oteh also accused Hembe of collecting funds from the SEC to attend a capacity building workshop at the Dominican Republic, but never actually going to the seminar or returning the funds. The EFCC counsel has promised to investigate the allegations made by the SEC.

“EFCC has enough evidence to present to court and is ready to begin its case,’’ the counsel said.