The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday November 21, 2022 re-arraigned a former governor of Kaduna State, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero before Justice R.M Aikawa of the Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna on an eight count amended charges bordering on money laundering. The re- arraignment is sequel to the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice M.G Umar, from the State.
Yero is being prosecuted by the
EFCC alongside Nuhu Somo Wya (a former minister), Ishaq Hamsa (a former
Secretary to Kaduna State Government) and Abubakar Gaiya Haruna (a former
Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state) for their alleged
involvement in the receipt and disbursement of the sum of N700 million paid to
them by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke to
influence the outcome of the 2015 presidential election.
At today's sitting, the prosecution
counsel, Nasiru Salele, told the Court that the case was for re-arraignment of
the defendants and urged the court to ask them to take their pleas.
The charges were read to the
defendants and they all pleaded ‘not guilty’.
One of the amended counts reads:
"That you, Muktar Ramalan Yero (while being the Executive Governor of
Kaduna state), Nuhu Somo Wya (whilst being a former minister of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria) and Abubakar Gaiya Haruna ( whilst being the chairman people's
Democratic Party (PDP), Kaduna State Chapter, sometimes in 2015 in Kaduna
within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court (Federal High Court) did
conspire among yourselves to commit a felony to wit: indirectly taking
possession of the sum of N700,000,000.00 ( Seven Hundred Million Naira) which
you ought to have known forms part of unlawful activity to wit; bribery and
thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering
( Prohibition Act 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3)
of the same Act”.
Another count reads: “That you
Mukhtar Ramalan Yero ( whilst being the Executive Governor of Kaduna state),
Nuhu Somo Wya (whilst being a former minister of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria), Ishaq Hamza (whilst being the secretary to the Kaduna state
government), and Abubakar Gaiya Haruna (whilst being the chairman people's
Democratic Party (PDP), Kaduna State Chapter, sometimes in 2015 in Kaduna
within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court (Federal High Court) did
indirectly take possession of the aggregate sum of N700,000,000.00 ( Seven
Hundred Million Naira),which you reasonably ought to have known forms parts of
the proceeds of unlawful activity to wit: bribery and thereby committed an
offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act
2011( as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act”.
Following their pleas, the defence
counsel, Yunus Ustaz Usman urged the court to extend to the defendants, the
terms of the bail earlier granted them by the former judge.
The prosecution counsel, Nasiru
Salele, appearing with M.E Eimonye and P.C Onyeneho, did not object to the
application.
Justice Umar granted bail to the
defendants on the same terms earlier offered them by the court
The case was adjourned till 16th,
17th and 18th January, 2023, for trial.
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