Godwin Tsa Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday re-arraigned a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN) on money laundering related charges involving about N400m.
Adoke was re-arraigned alongside an Abuja-based businessman, Aliyu Abubakar, before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CR/39/2017, the prosecution listed seven counts, with six of them relating Adoke.
The defendants were earlier arraigned on February 8, 2020, before Justice Binta Nyako, but the case was later transferred to Justice Ekwo.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges bordering on money laundering offences involving over N400m in Abuja in September 2013.
In the counts concerning Adoke, he was accused among others, of receiving the dollar equivalent of N300m from Abubakar, paying the dollar equivalent of N367,318,800 to one Usman Mohammed Bello, and allegedly using the sum of N300m which was alleged to be part of the proceeds of unlawful activities, all in violations of various provisions of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011.
Adoke was also accused of making “structured cash payments, in 22 tranches” amounting to N80m, another of such structured payments in 13 tranches summing up to N50m into his Unity Bank account.