Babatunji Wusu –
Former Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano is scheduled to be charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for suspected N4 billion naira fraud.
When the anti-graft agency finished its investigations into claims of money laundering during Obiano’s tenure, it would arraign him before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Remember that Obiano was detained on March 17, 2022, at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, as he was getting ready to catch a flight to Houston, Texas.
According to the service, Obiano was detained on suspicion of embezzling N5 billion in Sure-P and N37 billion in security votes, which were taken out in cash.
The EFCC said that he had been on its watch list for some time due to accusations of corruption and that some of the monies had also been reportedly used to pay political activities in the state.
But according to a charge seen by Leadership Newspaper and filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the EFCC planned to prosecute the former governor on nine counts related to money laundering and unlawful withdrawal of security votes.
Slyvanus Tahir, SAN, will lead eight other attorneys in the former governor’s trial, per court filings.
The EFCC accused Obiano in court records of illegally transferring N4,008,573,350 from security votes into many accounts, where it was subsequently exchanged for dollars and given back to him in cash.
Some of the charges read: “That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, whilst being the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria between March 2014 – March 2022, sometime between February 7, 2018 to February 18, 2019 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly transferred through Mr Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary, the sum of N156,800.00 only from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account No: 5030050875 domiciled in Fidelity Bank Pic into the Fidelity Bank Plc Account No: 6060018819 belonging to C.I. Patty Ventures Nigeria Limited (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government), which funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated / unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State, which you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.
That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, whilst being the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria between March 2014 — March 2022, sometime between August 9, 2017 to March 4, 2020 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly transferred through Mr Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary, the sum of N261,268,585.00 only from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account No: 5030050875 domiciled in Fidelity Bank Plc into the Fidelity Bank Plc Account No: 5600062873 belonging to Easy Diamond Integrated Link (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government), which funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated / unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State, which you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.”
