Connect with us

EVENTS

Money Laundering Charges against Bobrisky were Dropped Lawfully- EFCC

Published

on

Spread the love

A Prosecutor with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC Bilikisu Bala on Monday, September 30, 2024, told a Joint Committee of the House of Representatives investigating allegations of corruption against some officers of the Commission, and the Nigeria Correctional Service that charges of money laundering dropped in the trial of Idris Okuneye (a.k.a Bobrisky) were lawful and in compliance with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA.

Bala, head of the prosecution team that handled the trial of Okuneye pointed out to the Committee that the charges were dropped based on the disclosure of the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering, SCUML, that Okunenye’s firm, Bob Express, was not a Designated Non Financial Institution, Business and Profession, DSNFIBP, and could not be prosecuted for flouting provisions of the Money Laundering Prevention & Prohibition Act, 2022.

“We initially raised six count charges bordering on Naira Abuse and Money Laundering against Okuneye based on his confessional statement that his firm, Bob Express, was not registered with SCUML and was not rendering returns to it.

Counts 1-4 were on Naira Abus, while counts five and six were on money laundering. Okuneye’s confession that he didn’t register his firm, Bob Express with SCUML and not rendering returns to it informed the money laundering charges initially included in the six count charges.

However, when we wrote to SCUML on the status of the firm, the Unit responded that it was not a Designated Non-Financial Institution, Business and Profession, DSNFIBP. We cannot lawfully sustain the charges in all sincerity. We, therefore dropped them and relied on the four counts on Naira mutilation to which Okuneye had pleaded guilty”, she said.

The prosecutor dismissed claims of financial inducement in dropping charges maintaining that no such thing happened.

“There is simply no basis for that. The Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, allows amendment of charges. It is a professional practice. It is laughable for anyone to attribute our decision to monetary issues. Why did we write to SCUML if we didn’t want to include the charges? We wrote to be lawfully guided and when the Unit responded that the firm had not breached any law, on what basis should we have retained the money laundering charges?”, she said.

Bala, who appeared before the Committee with top management staff of the EFCC, charged the Committee to critically look into all the issues raised against the EFCC and make public its findings in the interest of justice. Chief of Staff to the EFCC’s Chairman, Commander of the EFCC, CE Michael Nzekwe who stood for the Chairman, Ola Olukoyede restated the seriousness the Commission attached to integrity of its staff. “We viewed the allegation of bribery against our officers seriously. Integrity is one of our core values. This is why we are here to place all the facts involved in the trial of Okuneye in the public domain”, he said.

Okuneye, an ex-convict, had alleged in a viral video that he offered N15,000,000 (Fifteen Million Naira) as a bribe to some unnamed EFCC officers to drop money laundering charges against him.

Visit www.efcc.gov.ng for more stories

EVENTS

National grid collapses first time in 2025

Published

on

Spread the love

 

Nigeria’s national power grid collapsed on January 11, plunging the country into darkness.

The failure occurred around 3 pm, reducing power generation from 2,111 MW earlier in the day to just 390 MW.

This blackout marks the first grid collapse of the year and the 13th in the past 13 months, affecting millions nationwide.

Reports indicate partial restoration efforts, with generation climbing to 302 MW as of late afternoon.

Authorities have yet to disclose the cause of the outage, but investigations are expected to follow.

More to come…

Continue Reading

EVENTS

Cubana Chief Priest Shows Heartfelt Gesture, Donates 47 Cows to Childhood Friend for Mother’s Funeral

Published

on

Spread the love

 

Renowned Nigerian entrepreneur, Pascal Chubuike Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has demonstrated an extraordinary display of friendship and generosity. He gifted his childhood friend, Zenco, an impressive 47 cows to honor his late mother’s memory and mark the 47 years they shared together.

Cubana Chief Priest took to his Instagram page to share a video of the cows, expressing his solidarity with his friend during this difficult time. He revealed that he spent the entire day with Zenco in Ukpor, Anambra State, preparing for the funeral rites.

Photo source: YouTube

 

Continue Reading

EVENTS

Retired Military Personnel Block Finance Ministry Over Unpaid Entitlements

Published

on

Spread the love

 

Retired military personnel on Tuesday barricaded the entrance to the Ministry of Finance in Abuja with canopies and chairs, demanding the full payment of their long-overdue entitlements.

This protest follows a similar action in December, during which the retirees shut down the ministry over the government’s failure to settle their claims.

For months, the retirees were told there were no funds to clear their entitlements, despite an official approval for payment. They are owed a 20% to 28% salary increment covering January to November 2024.

The retirees are also demanding payments for other outstanding benefits, including Palliatives for the period between October 2023 and November 2024, an additional N32,000 added to their pensions, a bulk payment of the Security Debarment Allowance, and a refund of pension deductions from the salaries of medically boarded soldiers.

 

Continue Reading

Trending