The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigned Senator Stella Oduah, a former Minister of Aviation, before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a 25-count charge on Friday.
Oduah, who served as Aviation Minister from 2011 to 2014, is on trial on charges that she and eight others conspired to launder $7.9 billion in public monies.
Gloria Odita, Nwosu Emmanuel Nnamdi, Chukwuma Irene Chinyere, Global Offshore and Marine Ltd, Tip Top Global Resources Ltd, Crystal Television Ltd, and Sobora International Ltd are among the other defendants named in the complaint designated FHC/ABJ/CR/316/20.
When the charge was read to them in open court, the defendants, who were docked before trial Justice Inyang Ekwo, pled not guilty.
The EFCC claimed, among other things, that Oduah, who also represented Anambra North in the Senate, and Odita, who was identified as her aid and the Company Secretary to Sea Petroleum & Gas Company Ltd (SPGC), used their positions in February 2014 to transfer the sum of N1,629,250,000.00 from I-Sec Security Nig. Ltd account No. 2021756955 with First Bank Plc to Global Offshore and Marine Ltd account No. 20229772 also domiciled in first bank. Money they should have known were gotten illegally.
Oduah and the other defendants were charged of opening a naira “anonymous Private Banking Nominee Account No. 2024414450 with First Bank Plc and thus committing an offense contrary to Section 11(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under Section 11(4) (a) of the same Act.”
They were equally accused of opening a United State dollar “anonymous Private Banking Nominee account No. 2024414498 with First Bank Plc and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 11(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under Section 1 1(4) (a) of the same Act.”
Following the defendants’ denial of all allegations, trial Justice Ekwo released them on administrative bail, which the EFCC had previously granted them.
Furthermore, the court ordered that the EFCC submit the case file to the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation in order to ensure the defendants’ careful prosecution.
