The planned commencement of trial in the alleged money laundering case involving ex-Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke was stalled on Monday at the Federal High Court, Abuja owing to the late filing of an amended charge by the prosecution.
Adoke and an Abuja-based businessman, Aliyu Abubakar are facing a seven-count charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/39/2017 in which they were accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of laundering about N400millon.
Justice Inyang Ekwo had, at the defendants’ arraignment on June 17 this year, adjourned till August 3, 2020, for the commencement of trial.
At the mention of the case on Monday, rather than call his witness, lead prosecuting lawyer, Bala Sanga told the court that he has an amended charge.
Sanga said he filed the amended charge on July 29, 2020, and had served it on the defendants.
Justice Ekwo noted that the amended charge was not in the court’s file and wondered why the prosecution delayed until July 29 to file an amended charge.
The judge then adjourned till July 4 for the defendants’ re-arraignment on the amended charge and possible commencement of trial.
Six counts in the earlier charge involved Adoke, with one relating to Abubakar. They were said to have committed the offences in Abuja in 2013.
In the counts involving Adoke, he was accused of receiving the dollar equivalent of N300m from Abubakar; paying the dollar equivalent of N367,318,800 to one Usman Mohammed Bello, and allegedly using the sum of N300m, which was alleged to be part of the proceeds of unlawful activities.
The ex-AGF was also accused of making “structured cash payments, in 22 tranches” amounting to N80m, another of such structured payments in 13 tranches, summing up to N50m into his Unity Bank account.
The commission claimed that the funds were not only part of the proceeds of unlawful acts but they also exceeded “thresholds outside a financial institution” and that the payments were done with the intention of concealing the origins of the funds contrary to section 15(2(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 and punishable under section 15(3) of the same law.
On his part, Abubakar was accused of making the payment of dollar equivalent of N300m to Adoke’s account in violation of the money laundering law.
