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The Federal Government has accused ex-Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke and a businessman, Aliyu Abubakar of laundering about $23,352,100.00 and N3, 077,318,800.00 in an amended 14-count charge filed against them.
The amended charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/93/39/2017 replaced an earlier seven-count charge, with same number, on which Adoke and Aliyu were arraigned before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja on June 17 this year.
Both defendants were re-arraigned on the amended charge before the same judge on Tuesday, to which they pleaded not guilty when all the counts were read to them by an official of the court.
Justice Ekwo subsequently adjourned till August 11 for the prosecution to open its case by calling its first set of witnesses.
In the old charge, six counts were directed at Adoke, while only one was directed at Aliyu. But, in the amended one, seven counts are directed at each of the defendants.
Some of the counts against Adoke read:
*That you Mohammed Bella Adoke sometime in September 2013 in Abuja, made a cash payment of the sum of $2,267,400.00 to one Rislanudeen Muhammed, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to the combined effect 01 section 16 (1) (d) and 01 section 1(3) 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, did cause to be made a structured cash payment in 13 tranches of a sum of money totaling N50.000, 000.00 into your Unity Bank Plc Account No. 0020153263, which sums you knew s 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 semen 15 (3) o! the same Act.
*That you Mohammed Bella Adoke sometime n September 2013 in Abuja did cause to be made a structured cash payment in 22 tranches of a sum of money totaling N80.000, 000.00 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 financial Institution, intending to conceal the origin o! 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.
Some of the counts against Aliyu read:
*That you Aliyu Abubakar sometime between September 2013 to October 2013 in Abuja, disguised the origins of the total sum of $12.084.700.00 when you reasonably ought to have known that the funds formed part of an unlawful activity to wit: acceptance of an amount exceeding stated threshold amounts outside a financial institution, intending to conceal the origins of the said funds, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section (15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act.
*That you Aliyu Abubakar, sometime in September 2013 in Abuja, accepted a cash payment of the sum of $4,000,000.00 from Farsman Holdings Limited, through Abdulhakeem Uthman Mustapha, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to the combined effect of section 16(1)(d) and of 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 Aliyu Abubakar, sometime In October 2013, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, accepted a cash payment of the sum of $3,000,000.00 from Farsman Holdings Limited. through Abdulhakeem Uthrnan Mustapha, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to the combined effect of section 16(1)(d) and of section 1(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.
