Justice U. N Agomoh
of the Federal High Court, Port
Harcourt has dismissed the motion filed against the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC by a former Vice President of the
Nigerian Bar Association, Blessing Ukiri challenging the competence and
authority of the EFCC to investigate and prosecute him. The court ruled that
the accused has a case to answer and that the Commission should proceed to
trial.
Ukiri was
arraigned by the Commission on the 15th October, 2012 on a 3-count
charge bordering on money laundering.
One of the charge
reads, “that you Ukiri Emonena Blessing, (m), on or about the 2nd
day of July, 2007 at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within the jurisdiction of this
honourable court, did transfer the sum of Twenty Million Four Hundred and
Twenty Three Thousand Seven Hundred Naira (N20,423,700.00) from your United
Bank for Africa (UBA) account number 00030550002674 to UBA Stockbrokers Limited
using UBA cheque number 01290571 which money you derived from the judgement sum
in favour of Samuel Onowighose paid by the Central Bank of Nigeria on the 3rd
day of April, 2007 into your Diamond Bank account number 632010000025
with the aim of disguising the origin of the money and thereby committed an
offence contrary to section 14(1)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act
2004 and punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act”.
The matter was
adjourned to February 7, 2014 for trial.
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