EFCC arraigns Oronsaye for money laundering

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a former Head of Service of the Federal Government, Stephen Oronsaye, for fraud and money laundering before a federal high court in Abuja.

Oronsaye and other accused persons on Monday pleaded not guilty to the 24 count-charge when they were brought before Justice Gabriel Kolawole.

Punch reports that EFCC‎ is prosecuting them for the procurement fraud illegally withdrawn from the federal government’s account in 2010, under the pretext of using the money for a biometric data capturing project.

EFCC said they have committed offences contrary to provisions of section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act and section 1(1) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other related offences Act.

Oronsaye’s counsel Kanu Agabi and that of the co-accused person, Oluwole Aladedoye, made an oral application asking the court to release their clients on bail, a move EFCC opposed.

Agabi argued that under the new Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, an accused person was entitled to bail by oral application.

But EFCC’s prosecutor, Aliyu Yussuf, counter argued that oral application for bail was not permitted in view of the provisions of section 162 of the ACJA stating that the bail could only be granted based on materials in the form of affidavit evidence placed before the court.

Yussuf then asked the court to remand the accused persons to prison and sought an adjournment till Wednesday to enable him to respond to the written bail applications filed by the defence.

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