An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecutor, Bilikisu Bala, informed a Joint Committee of the House of Representatives on Monday that the decision to drop money laundering charges against Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, was lawful and in accordance with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
In a statement released by the EFCC, the agency detailed Bala’s address to the House Committee, which is investigating allegations of corruption involving officers of the EFCC and the Nigeria Correctional Service.
Bala, who led the prosecution team in Okuneye’s case, explained that the charges were withdrawn following information from the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML), which revealed that Okuneye’s company, Bob Express, was not classified as a Designated Non-Financial Institution, Business, and Profession (DNFIBP). As a result, the firm could not be prosecuted under the provisions of the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
Read Also: How I Got Phone Recording Of Bobrisky – VeryDarkMan Finally Opens Up To Reps
“We initially raised six count charges bordering on Naira Abuse and Money Laundering against Okuneye based on his confessional statement that his firm, Bob Express, was not registered with SCUML and was not rendering returns to it.
“Counts 1-4 were on Naira Abuse while counts five and six were on money laundering. Okuneye’s confession that he didn’t register his firm, Bob Express with SCUML and not rendering returns to it informed the money laundering charges initially included in the six count charges.
“However, when we wrote to SCUML on the status of the firm, the Unit responded that it was not a Designated Non-Financial Institution, Business and Profession, DNFIBP. We cannot lawfully sustain the charges in all sincerity. We, therefore dropped them and relied on the four counts on Naira mutilation to which Okuneye had pleaded guilty,” she said.
The prosecutor firmly denied allegations of financial inducement in the decision to drop the charges, stating that no such actions took place.
“There is simply no basis for that. The Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, allows amendment of charges. It is a professional practice. It is laughable for anyone to attribute our decision to monetary issues. Why did we write to SCUML if we didn’t want to include the charges? We wrote to be lawfully guided and when the Unit responded that the firm had not breached any law, on what basis should we have retained the money laundering charges?” she said.
Read Also: VeryDarkMan Reacts To Bobrisky’s N1bn Lawsuit
Bala, accompanied by top management staff of the EFCC, urged the Committee to thoroughly investigate all the allegations raised against the Commission and ensure that its findings are made public in the interest of justice.
Representing the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, the Chief of Staff to the EFCC Chairman, Commander CE Michael Nzekwe, reiterated the Commission’s commitment to upholding the integrity of its personnel.
“We viewed the allegation of bribery against our officers seriously. Integrity is one of our core values. This is why we are here to place all the facts involved in the trial of Okuneye in the public domain”, he said.
Idris Okuneye, convicted for naira abuse, claimed in a viral video that he had offered a N15 million bribe to unnamed EFCC officers to have money laundering charges against him dropped.
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2Z
