The Former Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, her ex-aide, Gloria Odita and seven others have pleaded not guilty to a 25 count charge fraud related offences, brought against them by the federal government, before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
They are being charged with conspiracy, money laundering and maintaining anonymous bank accounts with First Bank Plc with about N7.9billion involved.
After taking their plea Justice Inyang Ekwo ordered that the Attorney General take over the matter and that the EFCC should transfer the case file to the AGF in two weeks.
While upholding the existing administrative bail conditions granted them by the EFCC, the court ordered that the terms of conditions also be made available to the AGF.
The court adjourned to October 17, 2023 for trial.
Other defendants in the charge are Nwosu Nnamdi, Chukwuma Chinyere, Global Offshore and Marine Ltd, Tip Top Global Resources Ltd, Crystal Television Ltd and Sobora International Ltd, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The anti-graft agency, among other things, alleged 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), had in February 2014, used their positions 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. 2022977296 also domiciled with First Bank Plc, which money they reasonably ought to have known that it formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act.
The defendants were accused of opening a naira “anonymous Private Banking Nominee Account No. 2024414450 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 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.”
The charge was filed since 2020, but the EFCC was unable to arraign the defendants owing to a petition they wrote to the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN.
Malami had urged the court to put the trial on hold to enable him review the case file.
However, he subsequently gave the EFCC the nod to go ahead with trial of the defendants.
