EFCC re-arraigns Nnamani, associates

[TGD]

 George, others go to S' Court over conviction

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Thursday re-arraigned former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani, before a Federal High Court Lagos over alleged money laundering.

He is standing trial together with his former aide and seven companies on an amended 105-count charge.

The others are Sunday Anyaogu, Rainbownet (Nig) Ltd, Hillgate (Nig) Ltd, Cosmos Fm, Capital City Automobile (Nig) Ltd, Renaissance University Teaching Hospital and Mea Mater Elizabeth High School.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The re-arraignment of the accused is sequel to the assignment of the case to a new judge following the transfer of the previous trial judge, Justice Charles Archibong, from the Lagos division.

Justice Mohammed Yunusa now becomes the third judge to sit over the matter.  The first trial judge was Justice Tijani Abubakar.

After the re-arraignment of the accused, their counsel, Ricky Tarfa (SAN) urged the court to allow them continue with the earlier bail granted to them by Archibong.

Consequently, Yunusa ruled that the accused be allowed to continue with the earlier bail granted. He said: "The case is hereby adjourned to May 28 for trial, while the earlier bail granted to the accused is hereby extended in the same terms."

Meanwhile, a former Deputy National Chairman (Southwest) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, yesterday prayed the Supreme Court to set aside judgment of the Court of Appeal, which confirmed the verdict of the Lagos State High Court, wherein he was convicted and sentenced to a two-year jail term for contracts splitting and inflation in 2009.

Although George, a former chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), and five others who were convicted have since served their two years jail term each, but they believe there was miscarriage of judgment and therefore have prayed the apex court to upturn their conviction and affirm their innocence.

Other ex-convicts in the matter include Arc. Aminu Dabo, Capt. O. Abidoye, Alh. Abdullahi Aminu Tafida, Zanna Maideribi and Sule Aliyu as 2nd to 6th appellants respectively.

When the matter came up for hearing, the appellants asked Justice Tanko Mohammed-led five-man panel to grant them extension of time within which to file and regularise their appeals having filed them out of time.

The court granted the applications and adjourned the matter to September 26, 2013 to allow parties time to file applications for consolidation of the six different appeals, as well as hear the Nnamani and the others were first arraigned in 2007.

The prosecutor, Mr. Kelvin Uzozie, had told the court that they laundered various sums of money in the tune of N5 billion believed to be proceeds of crime, by lodging same, in a secret account, with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds.

He also accused them of failing to comply with the lawful inquiry of the then EFCC Director of Operations, Mr. Ibrahim Lamourde (who is now the agency's chairman).



The Guardian

[Shola Sholaz]

EFCC should keep up the gud work. we need to keep fishing out the culprits