Posted by By ADESINA AIYEKOTI and UCHE USIM on
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday moved former Governor of Enugu State, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, to Lagos, where he and eight others would today be arraigned before Justice Mohammed Shuaibu of the Federal High Court, over charges of conspiracy and money laundering.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday moved former Governor of Enugu State, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, to Lagos, where he and eight others would today be arraigned before Justice Mohammed Shuaibu of the Federal High Court, over charges of conspiracy and money laundering.
Nnamani, who was on admission at the National Hospital, Abuja was brought to Lagos aboard a Virgin Nigeria aircraft. He walked out of the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in the company of a member of the House of Representatives, Hon K. G. B. Oguakwa, at about 10.20a.m, escorted by two mobile policemen and two plain-clothe security operatives.
Dressed in white long-sleeve shirt with grey stripes and a pair of blue jeans, Nnamani looked calm. When asked to comment on his forthcoming trial, he smiled and simply said: "No interview. What is happening is democracy in action. To God be the glory."
As he was trying to make further comments, the mobile policemen asked him to board a grey Peugeot Boxer vehicle marked BM 760 KJA. In the car, he sat at the rear seat between two police officers. Another Toyota Hilux with registration number EV 103 EKY served as the pilot vehicle.
Nnamani and his co-accused are facing a 34-count charge for allegedly conspiring to launder over N5 billion belonging to Enugu State government, an offence the prosecution said was punishable under section 17 of the money laundering (prohibition) Act 2004.
Others expected to be docked alongside Nnamani include: Sunday Onyekazuru Anyaogu, Sylvia Onwubuemei, Rainbownet Nig Ltd, Hillgate Nig Ltd, Cosmo FM, Capital City Automobile (Nig) Ltd, Renaissance University and Mea Mater Elizabeth High School.
The prosecution alleged, among others, that the accused persons, sometime in the year 2003, within the jurisdiction of the court, did collaborate to conceal the genuine origin of the sum of N1.1 billion illegally taken from the statutory allocation to local governments in Enugu State.
It was also alleged that Nnamani and others transferred over 1.5 million US dollars to foreign accounts in the United States of America.
The ex-governor, who was last week arrested by men of the EFCC for gross embezzlement of state funds and later taken back to the National Hospital, where he was receiving treatment, had petitioned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Roseline Ukeje asking for the transfer of his case from the court of Justice Shuaibu to another court.
He accused the judge of bias, alleging that he did not expect to get fair hearing in the court.