Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, the lawmaker representing Delta North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has vowed to challenge his conviction for money laundering at the Supreme Court.
The Court of Appeal in Lagos on Friday convicted and sentenced Nwaoboshi to seven years imprisonment along with his two companies, Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd, for laundering N322 million in 2014.
The lawmaker is, however, confident that the supreme court “will subject the judgment to critical review”
“It is not unusual to have judgments that astound the parties, depending on where the pendulum swings,” the statement by the senator’s media team read in part.
“The judgment, the news of which is in the media, arose from an appeal by EFCC against the judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos, which discharged and acquitted distinguished senator and co-defendants at the trial level.
“Steps are being taken to challenge the court of appeal judgment immediately and we are confident that the supreme court will subject the judgment to critical review accordingly.”
The Appeal Court in its ruling had also ordered that Senator Nwaoboshi’s two companies, Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd, be wound up in line with the provisions of Section 22 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2021.
This ruling followed the success of the appeal by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), challenging the judgment of Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court which on June 18, 2021, discharged and acquitted the defendants of a two-count charge of fraud and money laundering.
EFCC had arraigned the three defendants over the acquisition of a property named Guinea House, Marine Road, in Apapa, Lagos, for N805 million.
