The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), will arraign former governor of Anambra state, Willie Obiano on Wednesday, January 23, before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja for money laundering to the tune of NN4,008,573,350.
According to the judiciary source who spoke to LEADERSHIP, the ex-governor will be arraigned on nine-count charge.
The governor was said to have moved “N4,008, 573, 350 from the security votes into different accounts. The money at various times were changed into dollars and returned to Obiano by cash,” the source stated.
EFCC lead counsel, Slyvanus Tahir (SAN) will lead eight other counsel in the trial of the former governor
The commission said while being the governor of Anambra State between March 2014 – March 2022, sometime between 7th February, 2018 to 18th February, 2019 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, Obiano indirectly transferred through Mr Willie Nwokoye, his then principal private secretary, the sum of N156,800 from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account No: 5030050875 domiciled in a commercial bank into another account of a different bank No: 6060018819 belonging to C.I. Patty Ventures Nigeria Limited (an entity that had no business relationship with the state government).
EFCC said funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated/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.
In another charge, the EFCC said the former governor through Nwokoye transferred the sum of N261,268,585 from the security vote account to Easy Diamond Integrated Link (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State government).
According to the EFCC, the funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated / unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State thereby committing an unlawful act, to wit: (stealing and corruption) against 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.”
Obiano was first arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on March 17, 2023 as he was about to board a flight to Houston, the United States.
The arrest took place at about 8.30p.m, hours after he left office as governor and, thus, lost his immunity from arrest and prosecution.
He had been on the EFCC’s watchlist for some time before he was arrested over corruption allegations.
“Obiano was arrested for alleged misappropriation of public funds, including, N5 billion Sure-P and N37 billion security vote which was withdrawn in cash. Part of the funds was also allegedly diverted to finance political activities in the state,” EFCC had said then.
