Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is gearing up to prosecute the immediate-past governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano.
The case is slated to be heard before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, and it revolves around alleged money laundering involving a staggering sum of N4,008,573,350.
Obiano is expected to face nine counts of money laundering, with charges stemming from the purported movement of N4,008,573,350 from security votes into various accounts. The accusations detail that the funds were converted into dollars and subsequently returned to Obiano in cash.
This legal action is part of the EFCC's recent commitment, as announced by Chairman Ola Olukoyede, to revisit dormant high-profile cases, particularly those involving former governors and ministers. The trial will be led by the EFCC's lead counsel, Slyvanus Tahir, SAN, along with a team of eight other lawyers.
Among the charges, Obiano is accused of indirectly transferring funds from the Anambra State Government's Security Vote Account into unrelated accounts between 2018 and 2019. These transactions form the basis of the charges under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2011.
Another charge asserts that Obiano, during the period from 2017 to 2020, indirectly transferred substantial funds from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account into an account belonging to Easy Diamond Integrated Link, an entity seemingly unrelated to the state government.
The arrest of Obiano in March 2022 at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos marked a significant milestone in the EFCC's ongoing efforts to address allegations of misappropriation of public funds. As the legal proceedings unfold, it will be interesting to see how the case progresses and whether it brings clarity to the allegations against the former governor.
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