A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to transfer the file involving Stella Oduah, a former aviation minister and alongside others, to the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Oduah and others were arraigned before the court in Abuja on an alleged N5 billion fraud.
Justice Inyang Ekwo had fixed Friday, July 21 for the arraignment of the suspects after the counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Hassan Liman, SAN, pleaded with the court to allow the defendants to take their plea, having filed the charge against them on December 17, 2020.
The EFCC had sued Oduah alongside her former aide, Gloria Odita, Nwosu Emmanuel Nnamdi, Chukwuma Irene Chinyere Global Offshore and Marine Ltd, Tip Top Global Resources Ltd, Crystal Television Ltd, Sobora International Ltd and others for allegedly committing the N5 billion fraud.
In the 25-count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/316/2020, the senator, who represented Anambra North Senatorial District at the 9th National Assembly and served as aviation minister during Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and other defendants, are accused of conspiracy, money laundering and maintaining anonymous bank accounts with a commercial bank.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The immediate former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami had urged the court to put the trial on hold to give him time to review the case file. He later gave the EFCC the permission to prosecute the case.
According to the EFCC, Oduah and Odita, her aide and the Company Secretary to Sea Petroleum & Gas Company Ltd (SPGC), in February 2014, used their positions to transfer the sum of N1,629,250,000.00 from I-Sec Security Nigeria Ltd -account number 2021756955 – with First Bank Plc to Global Offshore and Marine Ltd account number 2022977296 also domiciled with First Bank Plc, which money.
The agency said the money formed part of the proceeds of corruption.
They were also accused of opening an “anonymous Private Banking Nominee Account No. 2024414450 with First Bank Plc and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 11(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under Section 11(4) (a) of the same Act.”
They were also accused of opening a United States dollar account with number 2024414498 with First Bank Plc and committing an offence “contrary to Section 11(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under Section 1 1(4) (a) of the same Act.”
Justice Ekwo ruled that the defendants could go home on the administrative bail earlier granted to them by the EFCC.
Justice Ekwo subsequently adjourned the case till October 17 for trial.