EFCC DOCKS FORMER MINISTER, ODUAH, OTHERS FOR ALLEGED N7.9 BILLION FRAUD

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Senator Stella Oduah, a former minister of aviation, was charged with 25 counts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, on Friday before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Oduah, who held the position of Aviation Minister from 2011 to 2014, is being tried on suspicion of conspiring with eight other people to launder nearly $7.9 billion in public funds.

Gloria Odita, Nwosu Emmanuel Nnamdi, Chukwuma Irene Chinyere, Global Offshore and Marine Ltd., Tip Top Global Resources Ltd., Crystal Television Ltd., and Sobora International Ltd. are additional defendants in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/316/20.

However, when the accusation was read to the defendants in open court by Justice Inyang Ekwo, who docked them prior to trial, they entered a plea of not guilty.

Among other things, the anti-graft agency claimed that in February 2014, Oduah, who also served as the senator for Anambra North, and Odita, who was listed as her assistant and the company secretary for Sea Petroleum & Gas Company Ltd. (SPGC), had taken advantage of their positions to transfer N1,629,250,000.00 from I-Sec Security Nig. Ltd. account number 2021756955 with First Bank Plc to Global Offshore and Marine Ltd. account number 20229772

The defendants were accused of opening a naira “anonymous Private Banking Nominee Account No. 2024414450 with First Bank Plc and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 11(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under Section 11(4) (a) of the same Act.”

They were equally accused of opening a United State dollar “anonymous Private Banking Nominee account No. 2024414498 with First Bank Plc and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 11(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under Section 1 1(4) (a) of the same Act.”

Trial Judge Ekwo let the defendants leave on the administrative bail the EFCC had earlier granted them after they pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In order to ensure zealous prosecution of the defendants, the court further ordered the EFCC to transmit the case file to the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

The matter was postponed to October 17 for the trial by Justice Ekwo.

The EFCC was unable to arraign the defendants despite the fact that the charge was brought against them in 2020 because of a petition they sent to the outgoing Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN.

Malami had pleaded with the court to halt the trial so he could examine the case file.

He later let the EFCC proceed with the defendants’ trials nonetheless.