BENIN CITY – Federal High Court ruled Tuesday it has jurisdiction to entertain the money laundering charge brought against Pastor Osagie Ize -Iyamu, Lucky Imasuen, Chief Dan Orbih, Tony Aziegbemi, and Efe Erimuoghae.
If you recalled Ize-Iyamu, who defected to the APC from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Lucky Imasuen, former deputy governor of Edo State, Chief Dan Orbih, former PDP chairman in Edo State; Tony Aziegbemi and Efe Erimuoghae were on an eight-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N700 million deployed to prosecute the 2015 general elections.
“That you Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Lucky Imasuen, Tony Aziegbemi, Chief Dan Orbih, Efe Erimuoghae Anthony and Chief Anthony Anenih (now at large) sometime in March 2015 in Benin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did directly take possession and control of the sum of N700,000,000.00 (seven hundred million naira) only without any contract award which sum you reasonably ought to have known form part of proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit; fraud and corruption; and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Amendment Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3)of the same Act”.
In his ruling today, Justice M. G Umar said the matter before the Court was money laundering which the Federal High Court has exclusive jurisdiction over and therefore dismissed their application.
He berated the defendants for filing the motion which he said was intended to waste the time of the Court.
Justice Umar adjourned the case till May 18, 2021 for further hearing.
