The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed additional seven charges against a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke [SAN], over money laundering allegations involving about N400 million in September 2013.
The trial of the ex-AGF who was initially re-arraigned alongside an alongside his co-defendant, Aliyu Abubakar, who is an oil tycoon before Justice Inyang Ekwo on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 was expected to begin on Monday, but it was stalled on account of the amended charges.
The initial charge contained seven counts, with six of them relating to Mr Adoke.
However, at the resumed trial on Monday, the prosecution counsel, Bala Sanga, informed the court of an amended charge he filed on July 29which was served on all the defendants.
The trial judge, Justice Ekwo who frowned at the late filing of the amended charge adjourned the trial till Tuesday on the ground that he was yet to sight the amended charges.
In the charge marked FHC/CR/89/2017, the prosecution alleged that
Adoke had in September 2013, accepted the sum of United States Dollars equivalent to N300million from the 2nd Defendant, Abubakar, and thereby committed an offence under section 1 (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 16 (2)(b) of the same Act.
The federal government further alleged that the former AGF, within the same period, made a payment of the sum of United States Dollars equivalent to N367,318,800.00 to one Usman Mohammed Bello.
In the counts relating to Mr Adoke, he was accused of among others, receiving the dollar equivalent of N300 million from Abubakar, paying the dollar equivalent of N367,318,800 to one Usman Mohammed Bello, and allegedly using the sum of N300 million, which was alleged to be part of the proceeds of unlawful activities, all in violations of various provisions of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011.
The former AGF was also accused of making “structured cash payments, in 22 tranches” amounting to N80 million, another of such structured payments in 13 tranches summing up to N50 million into his Unity Bank account, which sums he knew exceeded the statutory threshold of funds an individual could receive outside a financial institution. He was alleged to have attempted to conceal the origins of the funds, contrary to section 15(2) (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act.
