A Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto has sentenced three motor dealers to five years imprisonment for contravening provisions of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011.
The convicted persons were arraigned for failing to submit declarations of activities in line with extant regulations on customer identification and rendition of returns on transactions to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Sokoto State Command.
Delivering judgment, Justice Ahmad Muhammad however, gave the convicted dealers, Aminu Sahabi, owner of Sahabi Motors Investment, Nasiru Muhammad Danyabo owner of Nagarta Motors and Umar Muhammad owner of Daraja Motors, each an option of N125,000 fine.
The judge discharged and acquitted Sanusi Bello on the ground that the prosecution counsel failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt against the accused.
Speaking with newsmen after the ruling, counsel to the EFCC, Barrister Jonathan Habila, expressed satisfaction with the judgement as the exhibits tendered before the court were not rejected by the defendant’s counsel and were later marked as exhibits by the court.
Barrister Habila added that the ruling of the court would serve as deterrent to other motor dealers in the country.
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