Nigerian Senator Jailed for Money Laundering

By TPP News
July 2, 2022
7:58 pm
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The Lagos Division Appeal Court, Friday sentenced Peter Nwaoboshi, a senator representing Delta North District convicted for money laundering. 

Nwaoboshi was sentenced to seven years imprisonment by the Lagos division of the appeal court.

He was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alongside his two firms, Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd in 2018 for laundering N322 million between May and June 2014.

They were again re-arraigned before Chukwujekwu Aneke on October 5, 2018 when the initial judge in charge of the case, Mohammed Idris, was later elevated to the court of appeal.

However, in a judgment delivered in June 2021, Aneke held that the EFCC failed to prove the elements of the offences for which it charged the senator.

The judge also held that the prosecution’s case collapsed because “bank officials were not called to testify”.

Aneke also discharged the companies on the same grounds.

Not satisfied with the judgment, the anti-graft agency filed an appeal.

Delivering judgment on Friday, the appellate court overturned the lower court’s judgment and convicted the senator.

According to a statement by the EFCC, the court of appeal held that the trial judge erred in dismissing the charges against the respondents.

“It said the prosecution had proved the ingredients of the offence and consequently found the defendants guilty as charged,” the statement reads.

The court of appeal also ordered that the two companies be wound up.

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