Alleged N4bn fraud: Court to hear Obiano’s motion challenging jurisdiction March 7

ARINZE NWAFOR, Lagos

A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed March 7 to hear a motion filed by a former governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the alleged N4 billion fraud charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC arraigned Obiano on January 24 on a nine-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N4 billion.

He pleaded not guilty to all counts upon his arraignment.

According to correspondence from the News Agency of Nigeria monitored by Daily Champion, the court resumed hearing the case on Monday.

At the resumed hearing, the counsel to the defendant, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, informed the court that he had filed a motion challenging its jurisdiction to try the matter.

However, the counsel to the EFCC, Sylvanus Tahir, told the court that the prosecution served him the motion on Monday morning in court and he was yet to file a reply.

According to Tahir, the Supreme Court has settled the subject of the Court’s jurisdiction which states that the Federal High Court has inherent jurisdiction to try a charge once it borders on money laundering.

Justice Inyang Ekwo told the prosecutor to file his response to the motion by the counsel to the defendant and not tell the court what to do.

Justice Ekwo said, “It is not for you to tell the court the Supreme Court’s decision on the issue. Respond to the motion and leave the court to decide.”

Obiano was a two-term governor of Anambra state between March 2014 and March 2022, and the EFCC accused him of allegedly having diverted the money from the state’s account dedicated to security funds in his last five years in office.

The EFCC alleged that Obiano diverted the money marked for security from the state’s account between April 2017 and March 2022 and spent it on non-security matters.

The EFCC said the former governor diverted the money through companies that had no business relationship with the Anambra government, by giving and receiving the money back from the companies in dollars.

The EFCC, in its charge, named the nine companies that the defendant allegedly used to divert the funds from the state government’s security vote account.