The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned a former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, before Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja on money laundering charges.
The EFCC also on Wednesday arraigned an Abuja businessman, Aliyu Abubakar, alongside Adoke on a seven-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/39/2017.
Adoke was re-arraigned on six counts while Abubakar got one charge.
This is coming weeks after they were granted bail by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Both defendants were alleged to have committed the offences, involving about N400 million, in Abuja in September 2013.
Adoke was accused of among others, receiving the US dollar equivalent of N300 million from Abubakar and paying the dollar equivalent of N367,318,800 to a man identified as Usman Bello.
He was equally accused of making “structured cash payments in 22 tranches” amounting to N80m, and another of such structured payments in 13 tranches, estimated at N50m, into his Unity Bank account.
Abubakar, however, was accused of making a payment of US dollar equivalent of N300m into Adoke’s account, in violation of the money laundering law.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Defence counsel, Kanu Agabi (for Adoke) and Akin Olujinmi (for Abubakar) noted that the case was transferred from Justice Binta Nyako’s court where the defendants were arraigned in February this year and granted bail.
They prayed the court to allow the defendants to continue to enjoy the bail earlier granted them.
Justice Ekwo agreed to the request and adjourned till August 3 for the commencement of trial.
