The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday arraigned a former minister, Senator Stella Oduah, before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on a 25-count charge.
Oduah, who served as Aviation Minister from 2011 to 2014, is facing trial over an allegation that she laundered public funds to the tune of about N7.9 billion in connivance with eight others.
Other defendants in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/316/20 are Gloria Odita, Nwosu Emmanuel Nnamdi, Chukwuma Irene Chinyere, Global Offshore and Marine Ltd., Tip Top Global Resources Ltd., Crystal Television Ltd., and Sobora International Ltd.
However, the defendants, who were docked before trial by Justice Inyang Ekwo, pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them in open court.
The anti-graft agency, among other things, alleged that Oduah, who also represented Anambra North in the Senate, and Odita, who was identified as her aid and the Company Secretary to Sea Petroleum & Gas Company Ltd (SPGC), had in February 2014 used their positions to transfer the sum of N1,629,250,000.00 from I-Sec Security Nig. Ltd account No. 2021756955 with First Bank Plc, to Global Offshore and Marine Ltd account No. 2022977296, also domiciled with First Bank Plc, which money they reasonably ought to have known that it formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act.
The defendants were accused of opening a naira “anonymous Private Banking Nominee Account No. 2024414450 with First Bank Plc and thereby committing an offense contrary to Section 11(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under Section 11(4)(a) of the same Act.”
They were equally accused of opening a United States dollar “anonymous Private Banking Nominee account No. 2024414498 with First Bank Plc and thereby committing an offense contrary to Section 11(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under Section 1(1)(a) of the same Act.”
Following the defendants’ plea of innocence to all the allegations, trial Justice Ekwo allowed them to go home on the administrative bail the EFCC earlier granted them.
More so, the court directed the EFCC to transfer the case file to the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to ensure diligent prosecution of the defendants.
Justice Ekwo adjourned the case until October 17 for trial.
It will be recalled that, though the charge was filed in 2020, the EFCC was unable to arraign the defendants owing to a petition they wrote to the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN.
Malami had urged the court to put the trial on hold to enable him to review the case file.
However, he subsequently gave the EFCC the nod to go ahead with the trial of the defendants.
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