EFCC Operatives
EFCC Re-arraigns
EFCC Operatives
EFCC Re-arraigns Suspected Fraudster, Chinonso on
Amended Charges
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on October
22, 2019 re-arraigned Okoroji Chinonso Stanley on four amended
charges before Justice Giwa Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court
Abuja.
It could be recalled that Stanley was arraigned on June 6, 2019
on four-count charges, bordering on money laundering to the tune of
N23,697000 million (Twenty Three Million Six Hundred and Ninety
Seven Thousand Naira) only, to which he pleaded not guilty to all.
He was later released on bail.
At the resume hearing on Tuesday, the team of the prosecution
counsel, led by Chile Okoroma presented four amended charges
against the defendant, which it had earlier filed on October 11,
and urged the court to adopt the new charges and for the defendant
to be re-arraigned upon the amended charges.
“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 charges, to which Muhammad
replied in the negative.
“We have received the copy of the amended charges 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 charges 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 all four amended
charges.
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
plate 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 to November 20 and 21 of 2019 for
ruling on the trail within trail and continuation of the
substantive trail.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity