The Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission,EFCC yesterday arraigned a former Minister of Water
Resources, Mukhtar Shehu Shagari alongside four others before Justice Idrissa
Kolo of the Federal High Court Sokoto on a 5-count charge of conspiracy and
money laundering to the tune of N500,000,000 (five hundred million naira).
Charged along with the
former minister are: Senator Abdullahi Mohammmed Wali,Ibrahim Gidado,Nasiru
Dalhatu Bafarawa and Ibrahim Milgoma.
Trouble started for the
defendants after the commission received intelligence that the accused person
received various sums from the $115m allegedly disbursed by a former minister
of Petroleum Resources, Deizani Allison
Madueke to senior members of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and officials of
the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to influence the outcome of
the 2015 presidential election.
The defendants allegedly
benefitted the sum of N500,000,000 (five hundred million naira only) which was
not distributed through any financial institution in flagrant violation of
provisions of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act.
One of the charges read
that: “You Mukhtar Shehu Shagari,
Ibrahim Gidado and Ibrahim Milgoma sometime in March 2015, within the
justification of this honourable court did conspire among yourselves to receive
cash payment of the sum of N500,000,000 (Five Hundred Million Naira Only) from
one Abdulrahaman Ibrahim without transacting through a financial institution
and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18(a) of the Money
Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as
amended and punishable under section 16(2) of the same Act”.
All the defendants pleaded
not guilty to the charge when it was read to them.
Prosecution counsel,Johnson
Ojogbane requested a date for trial in view of the plea of the defendants and
also asked that the defendants be remanded in prison custody.
Counsel representing the
1st,3rd and 4th defendants,Ibrahim Abdulaziz as well as counsel for the 2nd and
5th defendants Ibrahim Idris and L.A Abdulkadir respectively applied for the
bail of their clients pending the determination of the case.
Responding, Ojogbane
confirmed that he was served with the various bail applications by the
applicants but also reminded the court that he was only served yesterday (May
21 ) and therefore needs time to respond.
Justice Idrissa after
listening to the arguments exchanged between the parties remanded the
defendants in police custody till Thursday, May 24, 2018 for the hearing and
determination of bail.
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