Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday remanded a businessman, Sunday Okorie, in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre for allegedly failing to declare the sum of $299,000 and having counterfeit $250 notes and €100 notes in his possession.
Justice Dipeolu ordered that Okorie be kept behind bars after he pleaded not guilty to a four-count money laundering charge and the unlawful importation of counterfeit foreign currencies brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
An EFCC prosecutor, Mrs Chineye Okezie, had earlier informed the court that the defendant concealed the $299,000, as well as counterfeit $250 notes and €100 notes, in relaxer containers to deceive the Nigerian Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja.
Okezie, who stated that the offences occurred on March 19, 2025, also claimed that the defendant imported five counterfeit $50 notes, totalling $250, with the following serial numbers: MB67951730 D, MB93612802 A, MB67957416 D, MB67957308 D, and MB121997428 C, knowing they were counterfeit.
The lawyer further maintained that the offences violated Sections 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022 and Sections 3(1)(a), 5(1)(b), and 5(2) of the Counterfeit Currency (Special Provisions) Act, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004.
Following the defendant’s plea, the prosecutor requested that he be remanded in prison custody, while the defence counsel, Uche Okoronkwo, asked that he be held in EFCC custody instead.
Consequently, Justice Dipeolu adjourned the case for trial on March 26, 2025.
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