The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, November 23,
2016 arraigned the quartet of Colonel Nicholas Ashinze, a former special assistant to
the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki; an Austrian, Wolfgang Reinl; Edidiong Idiong and Sagir D.
Mohammed before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja on a 13-count charge of corruption
and money laundering to the tune of N36.8billion.
Ashinze and his co-accused were arraigned alongside five companies accused
of allegedly diverting huge sums from the office of the former NSA.
The companies are: Geonel Integrated Services Limited, Unity Continental Nigeria Limited, Helpline
Organization, Vibrant Resource Limited and Sologic Integrated Services Limited.
Count three of the charge
reads:
“That you, Col. Nicholas
Ashinze, being a serving officer of the Nigerian
Army and a former Special Assistant (SA) to the immediate past National
security Adviser, Wolfgang Reinl, being an Austrian national and managing
director of Geonel Integrated Services Limited and Geonel Integrated Services Limited on or about
22nd April, 2014 at Abuja, in the Judicial Division of the Federal High Court
did transfer the sum of Five Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N550,000,000.00)
to Edidiong Idiong, being a lawyer practicing in the name of
Law Partners & Associates, knowing that the said sum forms part of
the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit : ‘corruption’ and thereby committed an
offense contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition)
Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) and (4) of the same
Money Laundering (Prohibition), Act 2011 (as amended).”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against them.
In view of
their plea, counsel to EFCC, I. O Uket expressed readiness for trial to
commence immediately saying he had the witnesses present in court.
“If the court is
ready, we are also ready to produce our first witness as we have our witnesses in court”, he said.
But, Ashinze’s counsel, Ernest Nwoye
told the court that
he had a pending application for the bail of his client. He urged the court to
grant the defendant bail on self recognizance having earlier been admitted to bail by an FCT High Court.
Afam Osigwe, counsel representing the second and
fifth defendants, also prayed the court to admit Reinl to bail. He
stated that he has been enjoying administrative bail from the EFCC since
February. He said that his travel documents are in the
possession of the Commission. He added that the accused has lived in
Nigeria for over 23 years and is married to a Nigerian.
In his argument, counsel to the third defendant, Paul Erokoro, SAN, said his client, Idiong, being a legal practitioner knows what it means to jump bail. He stated that, aside the fact that he had earlier been grated bail by an FCT High
Court, he had always made himself available to the EFCC.
In a similar vein, counsel representing the fourth defendant, N. Jimoh, while praying
the court to grant his client bail presented 6 exhibits marked exhibits A-F
respectively, to the effect that the accused had a health challenge which he had been managing
for close to forty years.
Responding, Uket argued that the defendants had lost their administrative bail the moment
their matter was charged to court and their counsels filed applications for
their bail.
“We are aware
that the defendants are enjoying administrative bail. Their counsels
understand that any administrative bail granted ends as soon as the matter is brought to
court and bail applications are filed. Such bail cannot be extended since
the charges have now been preferred to the defendants. We therefore urge the
court to deny the bail application”, he submitted.
Ruling on the applications, Justice
Kolawole held that the charges are all bailable adding that, “since each of the defendants has been on one administrative bail or the
other, my sixth judicial sense informs me that I adopt the terms and conditions of
the bail granted to the defendants by the EFCC and my learned brothers in the
FCT High Courts.
The judge added that the case would be granted
accelerated hearing and urged the prosecution to pick five days in
the new year for trial.
Consequently, the case was adjourned
to January 23, February 1 and14; and March 7 and 21, 2017.
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