Stanley was first arraigned
on June 6, 2019 on a four-count charge, bordering on money laundering to the
tune of N23,697000 million only. He pleaded not guilty to all.
He was later released on
bail.
At the resumed hearing on
Tuesday, the team of the prosecution counsel, led by Chile Okoroma presented an
amended charge against the defendant, which it had earlier filed on October 11,
and urged the court to adopt it and for the defendant to be re-arraigned upon
the charge.
“The matter is for
re-arraignment and trial. We have an amended charge, filed on October 11, 2019,
for which we humbly seek the acceptance of my lord. We have our proof of
evidence, witnesses, case summary and other necessary documents in support of
our prayer,” Okoroma said.
The judge asked the defence
team, led by Abdulhamid Muhammad if it had any objection to the amended charge.
Muhammad did not object.
“We have received the copy
of the amended charge and we have no objection,” Muhammad said, but prayed the
court to allow the defendant to continue to enjoy his bail.
Prosecution counsel did not
object to the prayer but urged the court to read the amended charge to the
defendant.
Count four of the amended
charge reads: “That you Okoroji Chinonso Stanley on or about 3rd of April, 2018
in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court disguised the origin
of the sum of N20,000,000,00 (Twenty Million Naira) only in your Ecobank Plc
Account no:5091081508 which you know to be proceeds of unlawful act to wit:
participation in an organized criminal group and thereby committed an offence
contrary to Section 15(2)(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 as
amended by the Money Laundering Prohibition Amendment Act 2012 and punishable
under Section 15(3) of the same Act.”
The defendant pleaded not
guilty to the new charge.
The trial began immediately
with prosecution counsel presenting two witnesses: Howard Adunn, an
investigator of United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Makinde Vincent, a police
inspector of the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police.
Being led in evidence by
the prosecution counsel, Vincent who was among the police officers that
arrested the defendant said: “We have a video clip of the defendant, confessing
his crime on DVD and there’s no enforcement. He voluntarily confessed, on
hearing that he is an internet fraudster.
“My boss, Deputy
Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari ordered me to hand him over to EFCC since we
don’t deal with internet fraudsters,” he said.
After the confessional
video clip of the defendant was played from the beginning to the end in the
court, the defence counsel, Muhammad in his cross-examination of the witness
said that the defendant was beaten and forced to confess. “It was not
voluntary. I urge this honourable court for-trial-within-trial” he said.
Justice Giwa granted the
prosecution’s prayer for trial-within-trial, which took off immediately with
the prosecution, presenting the prosecution witness, Police inspector Vincent,
yet again before the court.
Led in evidence by Okoroma,
the lead prosecution counsel in the trial-within-trial, the witness restated
that the defendant freely confessed and that no force or coercion was applied
on him.
The judge adjourned the
matter till November 20 and 21 of 2019 for ruling on the trial within trial and
continuation of the substantive trial.
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