Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filedadditional seven charges against a former Attorney-General of theFederation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke [SAN], over money launderingallegations involving about N400 million in September 2013.

The trial of the ex-AGF who was initially re-arraigned alongside an alongside his co-defendant, Aliyu Abubakar, who is an oil tycoonbefore Justice Inyang Ekwo  on  Wednesday, June 17, 2020 was expectedto begin on Monday, but it was stalled on account of  the amended charges.

The initial charge contained seven counts, with six of them relatingto Mr Adoke.

However, at the resumed trial on Monday, the prosecution counsel, BalaSanga, informed the court of an amended charge he filed on July 29which was served on all the defendants.

The trial judge, Justice Ekwo who frowned at the late filing of theamended charge adjourned the trial till Tuesday on the ground that heis yet to sight the amended charges.

In the charge marked FHC/CR/89/2017, the prosecution alleged that

Adoke had in September 2013, accepted the sum of United States Dollarsequivalent to N300million from the 2nd Defendant, Abubakar, andthereby committed an offence under section 1 (a) of the MoneyLaundering Prohibition Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable undersection 16 (2)(b) of the same Act.

The federal government further  alleged that the former AGF, withinthe same period, made a payment of the sum of United States Dollars equivalent to N367,318,800.00 to one Usman Mohammed Bello.

In the counts relating to Mr Adoke, he was accused of among others, receiving the dollar equivalent of N300 million from Abubakar, paying the dollar equivalent of N367,318,800 to one Usman Mohammed Bello, and allegedly using the sum of N300 million, which was alleged to be part of the proceeds of unlawful activities, all in violations of various provisions of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011.

The former AGF was also accused of making “structured cash payments, in 22 tranches” amounting to N80 million, another of such structured payments in 13 tranches summing up to N50 million into his Unity Bank account, which sums he knew exceeded the statutory threshold of funds an individual could receive outside a financial institution. He was alleged to have attempted to conceal the origins of the funds, contrary to section 15(2) (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act.