Justice U. N Agomoh of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt has dismissed the motion filed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC by a former Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Blessing Ukiri challenging the competence and authority of the EFCC to investigate and prosecute him. The court ruled that the accused has a case to answer and that the Commission should proceed to trial.
Ukiri was arraigned by the Commission on the 15th October, 2012 on a 3-count charge bordering on money laundering.
One of the charge reads, “that you Ukiri Emonena Blessing, (m), on or about the 2nd day of July, 2007 at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did transfer the sum of Twenty Million Four Hundred and Twenty Three Thousand Seven Hundred Naira (N20,423,700.00) from your United Bank for Africa (UBA) account number 00030550002674 to UBA Stockbrokers Limited using UBA cheque number 01290571 which money you derived from the judgement sum in favour of Samuel Onowighose paid by the Central Bank of Nigeria on the 3rd day of April, 2007 into your Diamond Bank account number 632010000025 with the aim of disguising the origin of the money and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 14(1)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2004 and punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act”.
The matter was adjourned to February 7, 2014 for trial.
Media and Publicity
18th December, 2013
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