Justice F. Giwa Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court
sitting in Abuja, on Monday, January 22, 2024 told a member of the House
of Representatives, Nicholas Mutu that he has a case to answer in an
alleged N320 million money laundering case brought against him by the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Mutu alongside Airworld Technologies Ltd and Oyien Homes,
were dragged before the court by the EFCC on an amended 13 -count charge
bordering on money laundering and gratification to the tune of N320m between
August 2014 and August 2016. He was arraigned before the court while he was
serving as the Chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on the Niger Delta
Development Commission, NDDC.
The prosecution, at the last adjourned date, closed its case
after presenting four witnesses, while the defense made a no- case submission.
Justice Ogunbanjo while ruling on the no- case submission on
Monday, January 22, 2024, told the defendant to enter his defence, ruling that
the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to establish a prima facie
case against Mutu.
The EFCC counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, in his objection to the
‘no case submission' by the defense, argued that the money paid to the
defendants by Starline Consultancy, a contractor to NDDC, was
gratification.
Iheanacho further told the court that Mutu used his official
position, as the chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, to influence the
payment of money paid by the NDDC contractors, using Airworld Technologies Ltd.
After ruling that Mutu had a case to answer, Justice Ogunbanjo adjourned the case till February 21 and 22, 2024.
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