The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied receiving a bribe to drop the money laundering charge against controversial crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, better known as Bobrisky.
The EFCC, on Monday, explained that the allegations of money laundering were dropped based on Bobrisky’s confessional statement on naira abuse in court and the disclosure of the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering, SCUML, that Okunenye’s firm, Bob Express, was not a Designated Non Financial Institution, Business and Profession, DNFIBP, and could not be prosecuted for flouting provisions of the Money Laundering Prevention & Prohibition Act, 2022.
The representative of the anti-graf agency, Bilikisu Bala, head of the prosecution team that handled the trial of Bobrisky, who made the clarification during an appearance before the House of Representatives investigative committee probing the alleged case of ₦15 million bribery involving Bobrisky and the EFCC, added that it is well within the powers of the agency to amend charges.
Bala denied any insinuation that the EFCC or any of its operatives received a bribe to drop the charges against Bobrisky.
“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 dismissed claims of financial inducement in dropping charges maintaining that no such thing happened.
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“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.
The Chairman of the Committee, Ginger Onwusibe, however, said that at the next meeting, the person who did the audio recording on the alleged bribery should appear before the committee while the meeting was adjourned sine die.
Meanwhile, the lawyer to Bobrisky, Avwerosuoghene Omuvwie, told the investigative committee that his client couldn’t appear physically due to health issues.
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