One Onwuasonya Augustine, alongside five others, were yesterday charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for an offence bordering on alleged money laundering.
It was stated that Augustine had swallowed $115,000 to avoid declaring it to officials of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, in Lagos.
The EFCC prosecutor, Ayokunle Fayanju, alleged that Augustine and the others namely: Kingsley Nwokenta, Ezenwa Uzoma, Christian Okoli, aka Buchito, Ezenwa Ikenna and Nwokenta Emmanuel, committed the offence on August 25, 2015, adding that they were apprehended at Room 303 of a five-star hotel in Lagos.
Fayanju stressed that the men acted contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012.
According to him, they are liable to being punished under Section 2(5) of the same Act.
“One of the accused, Uzoma, was singularly charged with the offence of obstructing an NDLEA official, Bello Tsanya, in the discharge of his duty which is against the provisions of Section 22 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012).”
The prosecutor said Uzoma was liable to being punished under the provisions of Section 22(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012).
The six accused, who were charged on four counts before Justice C.J. Aneke of a Federal High Court in Lagos, however pleaded not guilty.
“In view of the plea of the accused, I respectfully pray the honourable court for a trial date to enable us bring our witnesses.
“However, I will also be praying that the accused persons be remanded in prison pending trial,” the prosecutor said.
Nonetheless, the counsel for some of the accused, Mr. Victor Opara, told the court that he had filed bail applications on their behalf and sought short adjournment for the hearing of the applications.
He, however, urged the judge to order the remand of the accused in the EFCC custody pending the hearing of their bail applications, rather than the prison custody, pointing out that Okoli, one of the defendants, had health challenges, which were being treated while he was in the custody of the EFCC.
The counsel prayed the court to continue Okoli’s remand and the others in the EFCC custody so that they could have easy access to treatment and lawyers.
But Fayanju (the EFCC prosecutor), urged the court to reject the prayer to remand the accused in the EFCC custody, saying the commission’s detention facility was overstretched.
The chief judge, Justice Aneke, however, ordered their remand at the Ikoyi Prison.
He subsequently adjourned the case till December 11 to take the bail applications of the accused.
