BEVERLY HILLS, July 09, (THEWILL) – Former Imo State Governor, Mr. Ikedi Ohakim, has been admitted to bail in the money laundering suit instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja Thursday approved bail for Ohakim in the sum of N270 million and a surety resident in Abuja. The court also confiscated his travel documents, which will be kept with the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court pending the determination of the suit.
The politician, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was charged on Wednesday (yesterday) on a 3-count of money laundering to the tune of N270m.
The accused, who was arrested by operatives of the EFCC on Tuesday, July 7, 2015, is being prosecuted, among other things, for making a cash payment to the tune of $2, 290,000.00 (about N270, 000,000.00), for the purchase of a property at Plot No. 1098 Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District, otherwise known as No.60, Kwame Nkurumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja.
The amount is above the threshold approved for an individual going by the provisions of Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2004, the EFCC said, adding that he is also accused of deliberately neglecting to disclose all his assets in the declaration submitted to the Commission.
Count three of the charge reads: “That you, Ikedi Ohakim, on or about the 26th of January, 2013 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, while under arrest for an offence under the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act, 2004 knowingly failed to make a full disclosure of your assets by not declaring your ownership of the property known and described as Plot No. 1098 Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District- it is also known as No.60, Kwame Nkurumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(3)(c) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act, 2004 and punishable under the same section”.
Ohakim entered a not guilty plea when the charges were read to him.
In a similar case, Justice Evoh Chukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has set Friday for ruling on the bail applications by former Governor of Adamawa State, Mr. Murtala Nyako and his son, serving senator Abdul-Aziz and two others, Zulkifikk Abba, and Abubakar Aliyu.
The men as well as five companies were charged on Wednesday (yesterday) by the EFCC for corruption, theft, abuse of office and laundering N15 billion belonging to the Adamawa State government. The alleged crimes were committed between 2011 and 2013.
The companies with alleged ties to the Nyakos are Blue Opal Nigeria limited, Serore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Towers Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited.
One of the 37-count charge reads: “That you Murtala H. Nyako, Abdulaziz Nyako, Zulkfikik Abba, Abubakar Aliyu, Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited between January and December 2013 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did disguise the genuine origin of an aggregate sum of N6, 366, 280, 000 (Six Billion, Three Hundred and Sixty-Six Million, Two Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira), which sums you reasonably ought to have known to be proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit; moneys derived from the theft of Adamawa State Government’s funds.”
They all pleaded not guilty.
