Senator representing Delta North, Delta state, Peter Nwaoboshi and two Limited liability companies, Golden Touch Construction Project and Suiming Electricals Limited alleged to have laundered N322million proceeds of unlawful activities were today re-arraigned before a Federal high court in Lagos.
The defendants were re-arraigned before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke who will now commence the trial of the defendants as the former Presiding Judge Mohammed Idris was sometimes in June this year elevated to the court of Appeal.
The defendants who were first arraigned before the court on April 25, 2018, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them. Their counsel, Emmanuel Kachukwu (SAN) appealed with Justice Aneke to allow the senator continue with the bail earlier granted him by Justice Idris.
He also urged the judge to order the release of Nwaoboshi’s passport to enable him to travel to Indonesia on October 8 and return on October 19, 2018.
Justice Aneke who granted both prayers ordered that Senator Nwaoboshi’s passport be released to him for him to travel for his medical treatment. He however ruled that the passport should be returned to the court whenever he returns to the country. The Judge also ordered him to continue on his former bail.
Thereafter Justice Aneke adjourned till October 25, 2018 when trial shall commence.
Meanwhile, in the charge filed before the court by the EFCC, It was alleged that Peter Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Project Limited purchased a property known as Guinea House, Marine Road, Apapa, Lagos for N805million between May and June 2014.
The anti-graft agency claimed that N322 million out of the N805million, which Nwaoboshi and the company paid for the property, was part of proceeds of “an unlawful act. The EFCC alleged further that the N322milloon was transferred to the vendor of the property on the order of Suiming Electricals Limited.
Suiming Electricals Limited was accused of aiding Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Project Limited to commit money laundering on or about May 14, 2014. The prosecution said the defendants were alleged to have acted contrary to sections 18(a) and 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 and are liable to punishment under Section 15(3) of the same Act.