Justice Muhammad Idris of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos has adjourned to July 6, 2018 for ruling on a no-case submission filed by Waripamo-Owei Dudafa,a former Senior Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Dudafa is facing trial alongside Iwejuo Joseph Nna on a 23-count charge bordering on money laundering, failure to declare assets and conspiracy to conceal proceeds of crime to the tune of over N1.6 billion.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them, thereby setting the stage for their trial.
The prosecution, after presenting witnesses and tendering documents that were admitted in evidence by the court, had closed its case against the defendants on March 16, 2018.
However, at the resumed hearing today, counsel to the first defendant, Gboyega Oyewole, SAN, told the court that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima-facie case against his client.
He also told the court that the first defendant had stated before the court the source and ownership of the monies found in his possession, adding that “therefore, the owner of the monies should be questioned and not Mr. Dudafa”.
Also, counsel to the second defendant, Ige Asemudara, told the court that there was no iota of evidence that his client had committed any of the offence for which he was arraigned.
“There is no evidence that shows that the monies were paid into the personal account of the second defendant and the EFCC has not given evidence that those properties were acquired by his client with proceeds of crime”, Asemudara said.
In his response, the prosecution counsel, Nnemeka Omewa, prayed the court to discountenance the no-case submission.
“The monies were traced to Dudafa’s bank account. The monies found are not proportionate to his monthly salary as a public servant; so, he cannot satisfactorily account for the monies.
“The second defendant, Iwejuo Joseph Nna, who was a staff of Heritage Bank Plc, was the one signing for the monies and forging the signature of one Mr. Olugboyega Emmanuel,” Omewa further told the court.
He, therefore, urged the court not to grant the defendants’ applications, while also praying that they be ordered to enter their defence.
The defendants were said to have allegedly concealed N1.6bn through a company, Seagate Property Development and Investment Limited, an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 17(a).
They were also accused of knowingly concealing proceeds of crime through Avalon Global Property Development Company Limited in the sum of N 399, 470,000.00, among other alleged criminal offences.