The postponement adds to the delays the N5 billion money laundering trial of Ms Oduah, CCECC, and other defendants has suffered since it was filed in December 2020.
The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, rescheduled the trial of a former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, a Chinese construction giant, CCECC, and others, on N5 billion fraud charges, a case with a history of protracted delays.
The trial judge, Inyang Ekwo, adjourned the case, which was on number three on the case list, due to the absence of the defendants. Although counsel for the prosecuting agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Offem Uket, was in court, the defendants, including Ms Oduah, were not in court.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Mr Ekwo had, on 21 July, ordered the EFCC to produce persons behind breaching his privacy through text messages on his phone and another group who petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria regarding the ongoing case. The judge, who had adjourned the matter until today, directed that the anti-corruption agency must produce those persons in court.
“I will give a date for trial and make a consequential order because you have allowed this matter to degenerate this way.
“Do you think you can shield any of these persons who have interfered in these proceedings?” he asked rhetorically.
NAN reports that Ms Oduah, a former senator representing Anambra North Senatorial District at the 9th National Assembly, and others were arraigned on 21 July on 25 counts of money laundering involving his activities as Nigeria’s aviation minister in. She was arraigned alongside CCECC Nigeria Ltd, the Nigerian subsidiary of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) established by the Chinese government to execute international contracts and economic cooperation.
Also joined in the charge are Gloria Odita, Nwosu Emmanuel Nnamdi and Chukwuma Irene Chinyere. Others include Global Offshore and Marine Ltd, Tip Top Global Resources Ltd, Crystal Television Ltd and Sobora International Ltd. They all pleaded not guilty to the counts and were admitted to bail in terms of the administrative bail earlier granted them by the anti-graft agency.
Delays
The case has suffered protracted delays since it was filed in 2020. Arraignment of defendants was postponed up to 15 times for various reasons before it finally took place in July. Part of the reasons for adjournments included difficulties in serving some of the defendants and, at another time, the prying of the Attorney-General of the Federation’s office into the case. Long adjournments in between hearing dates and an anonymous petition written against the trial judge, Mr Ekwo, had also contributed to the delays the case has suffered.
Charges
This newspaper reported how the EFCC, on 17 December 2020, filed 25 counts accusing the defendants of laundering various sums of money totalling about N5,052,415,984 between February and June 2014.The EFCC accused the defendants of conspiracy to commit money laundering, transferring, taking control and taking possession of proceeds of fraud, aiding and abetting money laundering and opening anonymous bank accounts.
Specifically, the prosecution alleged in two of the 25 counts that Ms Oduah and Ms Odita opened anonymous “Private Banking Nominee” dollar and naira accounts with First Bank, thereby committing 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.
In seven of the counts where CCECC is indicted singly and along with Ms Oduah and Ms Oditah, the company was accused of “conspiring with the women to commit money laundering, and directly transferring to Private Banking Nominee account various sums of money totalling N2,583,385,246 which it reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity to wit: fraud…”The prosecution alleged, for instance, in Count 17, that CCECC Nigeria, “on various dates between March 5, 2014, and May 30, 2014” in Abuja, “directly transferred the sum of N868409,349.00 from your account with Zenith Bank Place to Private Banking Nominee Account 2024414450 domiciled with First Bank Plc, which money you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: fraud…”
Source: Premium Times
