EFCC drags Atiku's lawyer, Giwa-Osagie, to court for laundering $2m

EFCC drags Atiku's lawyer, Giwa-Osagie, to court for laundering $2m

Uyiekpen Giwa-Osagie has been charged alongside his brother for money laundering.
   
   
   
       
       
           
               
                   

Uyiekpen Giwa-Osagie has been charged alongside his brother for money laundering.

               
           
               
                   

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has charged Uyiekpen Giwa-Osagie, lawyer to former vice president Atiku Abubakar, with three counts of money laundering.

               
           
               
                   

Giwa-Osagie was arrested by the EFCC in February for allegedly laundering $2 million around the time of the 2019 presidential election which Atiku lost to President Muhammadu Buhari.

               
           
               
                   

The anti-graft agency has now filed a three-count charge at the Federal High Court in Lagos. He's accused of conspiring to make cash payment of $2 million, a sum exceeding the amount authorised by law, without going through a financial institution.

               
           
               
                   

He's charged, alongside his brother, Erhunse Giwa-Osagie, for violation of several of the nation's laws guiding money laundering.

               
           
               
                   

The counts read, "That you Uyiekpen Giwa-Osagie and Erhunse Giwa-Osagie, sometimes in February 2019 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired to commit an offence to wit: making cash payment of the sum of $2,000,000.00 (two million United State Dollars) without going through financial institution, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a), and 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.

               
           
               
                   

"That you Uyiekpen Giwa-Osagie, on or before the 12th day of February 2019 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, procured Erhunse Giwa-Osagie to make cash payment of the sum of $2,000,000.00 without going through financial institution, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.

               
           
               
                   

"That you Erhunse Giwa-Osagie, sometimes in February 2019 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, made the payment of the sum of $2,000,000.00 without going through a financial institution, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 1(a). & 16(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (As Amended) and Punishable under section 16 of the Same Act."

               
           
               
                   

The lawyer is expected to be arraigned before the court next week.

Source: EFCC drags Atiku's lawyer, Giwa-Osagie, to court for laundering $2m

- gist culled from pulseng