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Romanus Okoye, Lagos
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed charges against the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Bello Adoke, at the Federal High Court, Abuja over alleged money laundering totalling the sum of N1,764,637,600.
The former AG, who has been in EFCC’ custody following his arrest at the international airport in Abuja on December 19, 2019, is also facing prosecution over his alleged role in the controversial $1.3 billion Malabu Oil scandal.
The charges signed by Bala Sanga, Aliyu Yusuf, MS Abubakar and HA Shehu on behalf of the acting Chairman of EFCC, stated that Adoke is charged with six offences separately, while the two are charged together with the seventh offence.
The charges read:
“That you Mohammed Bello Adoke, sometime in September 2013, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, accepted as payment the sum of United States Dollars equivalent to N300,000,000.00 (Three hundred million Naira) from Abubakar Aliyu and you thereby committed an offence as specified under section 1 (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 16 (2)(b) of the same Act.
“That you Mohammed Bello Adoke, sometime in September 2013, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, made a payment of a sum of United States Dollars equivalent to N367,318,800.00 (Three Hundred and sixty-seven million, three hundred and eighteen thousand, eight hundred Naira) to one Usman Mohammed Bello and you thereby committed an offence as specified under section 1(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 16 (2)(b)of the same Act.
“That you Mohammed Bello Adoke, sometime in September 2013, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, used the total sum of N300,000,000.00 (Three hundred million Naira) when you knew that the said funds formed part of your unlawful activities to wit: payment of an amount exceeding stated threshold amounts outside a financial Institution and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) and punishable under section 15 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended).
“That you Mohammed Bello Adoke on or about the 13th of September 2013, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did cause to be made a structured cash payment in 13 tranches of a sum of money totalling N50,000,000.00 (Fifty million Naira) into your Unity Bank Plc Account No. 0020153263, which sums you knew is part of an unlawful act, to wit: the payment of an amount exceeding stated threshold amounts outside a financial Institution, intending to conceal the origins of the said funds, contrary to section 15 (2 )(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
“That you Mohammed Bello Adoke on or about the 16th of September 2013, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did cause to be made a structured cash payment in 22 tranches of a sum of money totalling N80,000,000.00 (Eighty million Naira) into your Unity Bank Plc Account No. 0020153263, which sums you knew is part of an unlawful act, to wit: the payment of an amount exceeding stated threshold amounts outside a financial Institution, intending to conceal the origins of the said funds, contrary to section 15 (2 )(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011
as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
“That you Mohammed Bello Adoke, sometime in September 2013, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, used the total sum of N367,318,800.00 (Three hundred and sixty-seven million, three hundred and eighteen thousand, eight hundred Naira) when you knew that the said funds formed part of your unlawful activities to wit: payment of an amount exceeding stated threshold amounts outside a financial Institution and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) and punishable under section 15 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended).
The seventh charge reads:
“That you Aliyu Abubakar, sometime in September 2013, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, made a payment of the sum of United States Dollars equivalent to N300,000,000.00 (Three hundred million Naira) to Mohammed Bello Adoke and you thereby committed an offence as specified under section 1(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 16 (2)(b) of the same Act.”
The EFCC secured an initial court warrant to hold Mr Adoke for 14 days. The Commission had in a counter-affidavit filed in respect of another matter said it had been “conducting several criminal investigations involving Adoke before he was arrested and transferred to Nigeria.”
