Today 19th May,
2015,Chimaroke Nnamani, Enugu State former governor, along with four companies Rainbownet Nigeria
Limited, Cosmos FM, Capital City Automobile Nigeria Limited and Renaissance
University Teaching Hospital, allegedly associated with him pleaded
guilty to a 10-count amended charge preferred against them by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC at the Federal High Court, Lagos presided
over by Justice Mohammed Yinusa
Ricky Tarfa, SAN, counsel
to the companies, pleaded guilty to the 10-count charge when it was read to
him. In view of his plea, the prosecuting counsel, Kelvin Uzozie asked the
court to fix a date for proof and review of facts and for sentencing.
Justice Yinusa
consequently adjourned proceedings to May 27, 2015.
Count one of the charge
reads: “That you Rainbownet Nigeria Limited, between February and March
2007 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court failed to comply with the
lawful inquiry of Ibrahim Lamorde, Director of Operations of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission on behalf of the Commission on this opening
statement of affairs of Rainbownet Nigeria Limited, from inception to February
2007 and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 38(2)
of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act, 2004.”
Another count reads: “That
you Cosmos FM between February and March 2007 within the jurisdiction of this honorable
court failed to comply with the lawful inquiry of Ibrahim Lamorde, Director of
Operations of the Economic and Financial Crimes on behalf of the Commission on
the audited account of Cosmos FM, for the periods ended 2003, 2004, 2005, and
2006 and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 38 (2) of
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act, 2004
The EFCC in 2014 sought
for a separate trial of the companies which were previously arraigned alongside
Nnamani in a N5 billion money laundering case in 2007.
EFCC counsel, Kelvin
Uzozie told the court that the matter had been stalled severally on account of
Nnamani’s frequent applications to travel abroad for medical treatment on
grounds of ill-health
Nnamani was first
arraigned before Justice Tijani Abubakar in 2007. The ex-governor
was docked alongside Sunday Anyaogu, his then aide and six firms
linked to them: Rainbownet Nigeria Limited, Hillgate Nigeria Limited, Cosmos
FM, Capital City Automobile Nigeria Limited, Renaissance University Teaching
Hospital and Mea Mater Elizabeth High School.
The case was re-assigned
to Justice Charles Archibong following the transfer of Justice Abubakar, now of
the Appeal Court, out of the Lagos division of the federal high court.
Again, the case was re-assigned to Justice
Yinusa, after Justice Archibong (now retired) was also transferred out of the
Lagos division of the court. According to the charge, Nnamani conspired with
other accused persons to launder funds from the state treasury, especially
monies meant for the local government areas of Enugu state.
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