EFCC re-arraigns Nnamani, others for laundering N5bn

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday re-arraigned former Enugu State Governor Chimaroke Nnamani at a Federal High Court Lagos, for allegedly  laundering N5bn.

EFCC lawyer, Mr. Kelvin Uzozie, said the accused laundered the money, believed to be proceeds of crime.

The anti-graft agency had charged Nnamani, his former aide, Sunday Anyaogu, and seven companies, including a school and a hospital, on an amended 105 counts of fraud.

The accused firms are Rainbownet (Nig) Ltd, Hillgate (Nig) Ltd, Cosmos FM, Capital City Automobile (Nig) Ltd, Renaissance University Teaching Hospital and Mea Mater Elizabeth High School.

The accused pleaded not guilty to all the counts filed before Justice Justice Mohammed Yunusa.

The charges were first preferred against the accused in 2007.

Their arraignment was before Justice Charles Archibong (now retired) before his transfer out of Lagos last year.

Justice Tijani Abubakar was the first judge to preside over the case before its transfer to Archibong.

Yunusa acceded to the request by the accused persons' counsel, Mr. Ricky Tarfa (SAN), to allow his clients to continue enjoying the earlier bail granted them by Archibong.

The judge adjourned till May 28 for trial.
The accused allegedly lodged the N5bn laundered by them, in a secret account, with the aim of concealing the source of the proceeds.

The accused also allegedly failed to comply with the lawful inquiry of the then EFCC Director of Operations, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, (now the commission Chairman).

The offences allegedly contravened the provisions of the Money laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and the EFCC Act, 2004.