Mohammed Adoke
Aliyu Abubakar
By Our Reporter
Former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke and Chairman of AA Oil, Alhaji Aliyu Abubakar have been re-arraigned on fresh charges.
They were re-arraigned by the Federal Government on an amended seven-count money laundering charge.
Adoke took fresh plea before trial Justice Inyang Ekwo alongside his co-defendant, Aliyu Abubakar.
In the charge marked FHC/CR/89/2017, FG alleged that Adoke had in September 2013, accepted the sum of United States Dollars equivalent to N300million from the 2nd Defendant, Abubakar, and thereby committed an offence under section 1 (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 16 (2)(b) of the same Act. It alleged that the former AGF, within the same period, made a payment of the sum of United States Dollars equivalent to N367,318,800.00 to one Usman Mohammed Bello
According to the charge, Adoke made “structured cash payments in 13 tranches of the total sum of N50m into his Unity Bank Account”, which sums he knew exceeded the statutory threshold of funds an individual could receive outside a financial institution.
He was alleged to have attempted to conceal the origins of the funds, contrary to section 15(2) (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act. Besides, FG, alleged that the former AGF caused to be made on his behalf, structured cash payments, in 22 tranches, a total sum of N80m into his Unity Bank Account, which sums he knew were part of an unlawful act. Meantime, the Defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge, just as their lawyers, Kanu Agabi, SAN, and Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN, respectively, persuaded the court to allow them to continue to enjoy their previous bail conditions. Their application was not opposed by the prosecution counsel, Mr Bala Sanga.
In a ruling, Justice Ekwo admitted the Defendants to bail on terms earlier handed to them by trial Justice Binta Nyako. The court subsequently adjourned the case till August 3, even as it okayed accelerated trial of the Defendants.
It would be recalled that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had granted Adoke bail in the sum of N50m with one surety in like sum after he pleaded not guilty to all charges stemming from his alleged fraudulent involvement in the Malabo oil deal
The former AGF was first arraigned in December 2019 before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court upon his return to the country from Dubai..
