A professor, Uche Chigozie, who allegedly defrauded the Maize Growers, Processors and Entrepreneurs Affiliation of Nigeria, was on Thursday re-arraigned by the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee earlier than a Federal Excessive Courtroom in Lagos, for N1.47bn cash laundering.
Chigozie, who was arraigned alongside three corporations, Visionary Built-in Consulting Ltd, Nemad Associates Ltd. and Revamp World Enterprises, is going through 11 counts bordering on conspiracy, fraud, stealing, and cash laundering, most well-liked towards him by the EFCC.
He was first arraigned in August 2023, earlier than Justice Nicholas Oweibo, and had pleaded not responsible to the fees.
Justice Oweibo was, nevertheless, transferred out of the Lagos Division, and the case was reassigned to the brand new trial choose, Justice Dehinde Dipeolu.
The EFCC’s prosecution counsel, Mrs Chinenye Okezie, instructed the court docket that the defendant allegedly conspired with the opposite defendants, and used the sum of N1.47bn belonging to the Maize Growers, Processors and Entrepreneurs Affiliation of Nigeria.
Okezie stated that the defendant allegedly retained the sum of N197m in his UBA account, which fashioned a part of the proceeds of unlawful act of gratification.
She additionally instructed the court docket that Chigozie allegedly used N120m to amass a property in his identify, within the Gwarimpa space of Abuja and one other N200m, to amass two properties in Owerri, Imo State.
The anti-graft company stated the defendant used the combination sum of N90m to amass a number of plots of land in components of Owerri.
He was additional accused of utilizing the sum of N34m to amass three Toyota Hilux automobiles in his identify.
The fee additionally stated that the defendant allegedly acquired a greenback money fee equal to N87m from one Muwawiyya Haruna, which sum exceeded the quantity authorised by regulation.
Our correspondent gathered that the EFCC stated the defendant must have identified that the cash fashioned a part of the proceeds of illegal exercise of fraud.
Based on the fee, the offences dedicated contravened Sections 1(a), 15(1), 15(2), 15(3), 16, and 18(a) of the Cash Laundering Act, 2012.
Nevertheless, the defendant pleaded not responsible to the fees towards him.
Following the defendant’s plea on Thursday, the defence counsel, Mr Etudo Mefo, urged the court docket to permit the defendant to proceed on an earlier bail granted him by the court docket on August 7, 2023.
However the prosecutor, Okezie, urged the court docket to solely enable the defendant to proceed on his current bail if the defence counsel would undertake to make sure his attendance in court docket.
She defined to the court docket that the defendant had been absent on sure events, which she claimed had induced some drama.
The prosecutor, due to this fact, insisted that she wouldn’t oppose if the defence counsel made that endeavor.
In his response, the defence counsel instructed the court docket that when the defendant was first granted bail, his sureties included his organic father in addition to a authorized practitioner.
He instructed the court docket that he was prepared so as to add to the quantity, and thus undertook to make sure attendance of the defendant in court docket.
Following the settlement of the events, Justice Dipeolu adjourned the case till March 13 for trial.
