Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the application by a former Anambra State Governor, Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, which sought to quash the N40 billion money laundering charges brought against him by the Federal Government.

The Judge, in a ruling delivered on Thursday, faulted and rejected all grounds upon which the application was predicated by Obiano.

The former governor had, among others, prayed the Judge to dismiss the 9-count charges instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on behalf of the Federal Government.

He claimed that there was no connection between the proof of evidence supplied to the court by the EFCC and the accusations against him.

He averred that there was no testimony from any witness indicating that he issued directives for the disbursement of security votes and other funds belonging to the Anambra State Government.

Obiano also claimed that he could not be held accountable for any alleged unlawful actions by officials of the Anambra State Government as there is no concept of vicarious liability in the criminal justice system.

His motion on notice was brought pursuant to Section 6(6)(a) and (b) and Section 36(6)(b) of the 1999 constitution as amended and Section 1(1) & (2), 266, 271(b), 383(4) &492 (3) of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act 2015.

Among others, Obiano sought “An order of the court quashing the instant charge for it amounts to flagrant abuse of judicial process and a mockery of the criminal Justice

“An order quashing the charge for non-disclosure of a prime facie case being vague and devoid of precision in respect of all the 9 count charges.

“No prima facie case has been disclosed against the defendant in this charge. There is no link between the proof of evidence and the purported allegation made against the defendant in the charge

“No evidence exists from any witness showing that the defendant passed down a directive for the disbursement of security votes and other funds belonging to Anambra State government.

“The defendant cannot be made answerable for any purported unlawful actions of officials of Anambra State government as there is no vicarious liability in our criminal jurisprudence.

“The thinking and conclusion of the prosecution on the counts arose from speculation and suspicions.

“The subject matter of the charge borders on accountability for security vote funds.
The honourable court lacks the requisite jurisdiction to entertain issues on accountability for security vote funds

“There is an appeal filed by the Anambra state government challenging the powers of EFCC to investigate the security vote of Anambra state government.

“The preferment of the entire charge is in bad faith. This honourable court has inherent judicial power to grant all the reliefs sought above.”

But in the ruling, Justice Ekwo held that all the reliefs sought by Obiano are not grantable because they are premature and lacking in merit.

The Judge said there is no way the court would know whether the former governor is linked with the alleged offences or not unless the trial is conducted in line with the provisions of the law.

The former governor is being prosecuted by EFCC on 9-count charges bordering on money laundering to the tune of N40 billion.

Meanwhile, the Judge has fixed June 24, 25, 26 and 27 for full blown trial of the charges.

In the same vein, Justice Ekwo permitted Obiano 60 days to travel abroad for medical treatment.

The Judge ordered that Obiano be made to sign an undertaking to return to the country after the treatment and to deposit his travelling passport within three days of his return to Nigeria.

By Aminu Garko, Kano

Alhaji Abdulazeez Ganduje, the eldest son of the suspended National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has lauded the political commitment demonstrated by the chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhyi Rimingado, in the state.

Ganduje spoke while visiting the Magaji at his office said his main reason for the visit was to show support for the chairman’s anti-corruption efforts in the ongoing fight against corruption.

He also expressed his endorsement of the charges brought against his father, mother, and brother by the commission.

Abdulazeez voiced his concern to the commission chairman about his unjust removal as a director of one of the companies undergoing trial, expressing his distress over being ousted without his consent.

In September 2021, Abdulazeez lodged a petition with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against his mother, Hafsat Ganduje, accusing her of corruption.

In the petition, he detailed how he was approached by a property developer to assist in acquiring land in Kano for a substantial sum of money.

It was revealed that Abdulazeez paid the specified amounts in US dollars to his mother, Mrs. Ganduje.

However, the property developer later discovered that the land he had paid for had been allocated to other buyers and requested a refund.

The Kano anti-corruption commission had previously taken legal action against Mr. Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, his son Umar Abdullahi Umar, and five others on charges related to corruption, misappropriation, and diversion of funds, amounting to billions of naira. Other individuals involved include Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Limited.