The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, adjourned further proceedings in the nine-count money laundering charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred the immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, till March 13.

Trial Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the matter to enable Obiano’s team of lawyers to respond to a counter affidavit the anti-graft agency filed to oppose his bid to quash the charge.

Counsel that represented the defendant during the sitting on Thursday, Chief Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, requested for time to enable him to file a process to deflate some depositions in the written address the EFCC brought against his client’s motion.

EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, had informed the trial judge that in compliance with the order of the court, he served both the counter affidavit and the written address on the defendant.

Tahir, SAN, noted that he initially found it difficult to serve the processes on the defendant’s lead counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, whose office he said was locked at the time he visited.

The prosecution counsel told the court that he subsequently called another lawyer in Ikpeazu’s Chambers, who notified him that his principal was engaged at a Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

Meantime, while acknowledging receipt of EFCC’s processes, Ikwueto, SAN, said he was in court to stand in for Ikpeazu.

He, therefore, persuaded the court to grant a short adjournment to enable him to respond to the documents.

It will be recalled that Obiano, who piloted the affairs of Anmabra State from March 2014 to March 2022, was first arrested at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, on March 17, 2022, as he was preparing to board a flight to Houston, the United States of America.

The arrest took place few hours after he left office as governor.

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The EFCC alleged that he looted over N4billion from the Anambra State treasury.

The agency alleged that the funds were siphoned from Anambra State’s Security Vote Account, converted into dollars and handed to Obiano in cash.

For instance, the prosecuting agency told the court that from March 2014 to March 2022 when Obiano was in office as governor, between February 16, 2018 and March 9, 2018, in Abuja, made cash transaction through a non-financial institution by instructing one Uzuegbuna Okagbue, his then Chief Protocol Officer/Deputy Chief of Staff, to transfer over 223million from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account, into Connought International Services Limited, which was converted to the equivalent of $600,000.00 and collected same in cash from one Ayuba Tanko.

He was said to had between October 30, 2018 and November 13, 2018, made cash transaction through a non-financial institution by instructing Okagbue to transfer the sum of N95m from Anambra State Government Security Vote, into the account of S. Y. Panda, which was converted to $260 and handed to him in cash.

However, upon his arraignment on January 24, the former governor pleaded not guilty to the charge, even as he was released on bail.

As part of his bail conditions, the court seized his international passport.

EFCC told the court that it has lined up 15 witnesses to testify in the matter.

However, before the EFCC could open the case by calling its witnesses, the former governor filed a had motion wherein he contended that the court in Abuja was bereft of the requisite jurisdiction to try him over offences that were allegedly committed in Anambra State.

He prayed the court to dismiss the charge against him for want of territorial jurisdiction.

Some of the counts in the charge against him, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/15/2024, read: “That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, whilst being the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria between March 2014 – March 2022, sometime between 7th February, 2018 to 18th February, 2019 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly transferred through Mr Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary, the sum of N156,800.00 only from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account No: 5030050875 domiciled in Fidelity Bank Pic into the Fidelity Bank Ple Account No: 6060018819 belonging to C.I. Patty Ventures Nigeria Limited (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government), which funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated / unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State, which you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

“That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, whilst being the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria between March 2014 — March 2022, sometime between 9th August, 2017 to 4th March, 2020 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly transferred through Mr Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary, the sum of N261,268,585.00 only from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account No: 5030050875 domiciled in Fidelity Bank Plc into the Fidelity Bank Plc Account No: 5600062873 belonging to Easy Diamond Integrated Link (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government), which funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated / unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State, which you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.”

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/03/alleged-n4bn-fraud-court-defers-trial-of-ex-anambra-gov-obiano-till-march-13/