The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, re-arraigned a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), at a Federal High Court, Abuja.
Adoke was re-arraigned alongside a businessman, Aliyu Abubakar, on a 14-count amended charge bordering on money laundering.
The charges are in connection with the controversial OPL 245 transaction, also known as the Malabu Oil deal.
Prosecuting counsel, Mr Bala Sanga, stated that the re-arraignment was necessitated by an increase of charges from seven to 14.
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According to him, the sum of money involved in the new charge also increased from the previous N400 million.
In the previous charges, six of the seven counts related to Adoke while only one related to Abubakar.
But with the amended charges, each of the defendants is to answer to seven charges.
Some of the charges read: “That you Mohammed Adoke, sometime in Aug. 2013 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this court, accepted a cash payment of a sum of United States Dollars, equivalent to N300,000,000.00 (Three hundred million Naira), from Aliyu Abubakar and you thereby committed an offence contrary to the combined effect of Section 16 (1) (d) and of Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 16 (2)(b) of the same Act.
“That you Mohammed Adoke, sometime in Sept. 2013 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this court, made a cash payment of the sum of $2,267,400.00 (Two million, two hundred and sixty seven thousand, four hundred United States Dollars) to one Rislanudeen Muhammed and you thereby committed an offence contrary to the combined effect of Section 16 (1) (d) and of Section 1(a) of the Money Prohibition Act.”
The trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the case to Aug. 11 for commencement of trial.
