By Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto on Tuesday remanded former minister of water resources, Mukhtari Shehu Shagari in police custody over allegation of money laundering in the sum of N500 million.
Remanded along with him were a former Commissioner of Information, Ibrahim Gidado; the Sokoto State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ibrahim Milgoma; Treasurer of the PDP, Nasiru Dalhatu Bafarawa and the 2015 PDP governorship candidate in the state, Mallam Abdallah Wali.
They are standing trial in Suit No. FHC/S/19C/2018 on a five-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering linked to the alleged illegal dealings with former Petroleum Minister Diezani Madueke and brought before the court presided by Justice Saleh Kogo Idrisa by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
When the four charge sheet was read out to the accused persons, they all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The lead Counsel to the EFCC, Barrister Johnson Ojogbane told the court that the money laundering and cash transaction offences committed in March 2015, violated the provisions of Nigeria’s Money Laundering Act 2011 and were punishable under section 16 (2) (b).
He told the court that the N500 million was handed over to the accused by one Abdulrahman Ibrahim.
Ojogbane applied for adjournment for substantive trial and asked the court to remand the accused persons pending the hearing of applications filed by their various Counsels for bail.
Responding however, Counsel to the 1st, 2nd and 4th accused persons, Gidado, Dalhatu and Milgoma, Barrister Ibrahim Abdullahi observed that since his clients had been on EFCC administrative bail 2016, they should be allowed to continue with interim pending the hearing of formal bail application.
Counsels to Shagari and Wali, Ibrahim Idris and Aiyelabegan Abdulkadiri, respectively aligned their submission with that of Barrister Ibrahim that the administrative bail should continue.
Ojogbane however submitted that the administrative bail lapsed immediately the accused persons were served with the charge sheet.
Justice Idrisa adjourned the case to May 24 for hearing of the bail applications and ordered that the accused persons to be remanded in police custody.
