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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested two persons close to PDP presidential candidate in the 2019 election, Atiku Abubakar.
Sources said Atiku’s lawyer, Uyi Giwa Osagie and his son in-law, Abdullahi Babalele, were taken into custody on Thursday evening after honouring an EFCC invitation in Lagos.
The EFCC is yet to issue an official statement on the arrest but Premium Times reports that the commission was set to arraign Mr Giwa-Osagie for alleged money laundering on the following charges:
COUNT 1
That you UYIEKPEN GlWA-OSAGIE and ERHUNSE GlWA-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 authorized 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.
COUNT 2
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 GIWAOSAGIE to make 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 authorized 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.
COUNT 3
That you ERHUNSE GlWA-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 (Two Million United State Dollars) without going through financial institution, which sum exceeded the amount authorized 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.
Messrs Babalele and Giwa-Osagie have been arrested and detained for the offence before.
A bureau de change operative had allegedly identified Giwa-Osagie as the owner of $2 million found in its possession. The commission alleged the money was to be used for the 2019 elections.
The duo denied the allegations, and critics saw the probe as politically-motivated, especially as it came during the hotly-contested presidential election.
Mr Abubakar had also condemned the investigation as an attempt to intimidate him at the time. But the anti-graft office rejected insinuations of political influence over its activities.