Rita Odafe
An prosecutor from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Bilikisu Bala, informed a House of Representatives Joint Committee on Monday, September 30, that accusations of money laundering against the well-known crossdresser Idris Okuneye, also referred to as Bobrisky, were legally dismissed in accordance with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Bala, who led the prosecution team for Okuneye’s case, explained that the charges were dropped after an inquiry from the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML) confirmed that Okuneye’s business, Bob Express, did not meet the criteria for prosecution under the Money Laundering Prevention & Prohibition Act, 2022.
“Initially, we filed six charges of Naira Abuse and Money Laundering against Okuneye, based on his admission that Bob Express was not registered with SCUML and did not provide required reports,” Bala stated.
The charges included four counts related to Naira abuse and two for money laundering. Okuneye’s acknowledgment of not registering his business led to the initial money laundering allegations.
However, upon contacting SCUML about Bob Express’s status, they confirmed it was not a Designated Non-Financial Institution or Business, so the prosecution had to drop those charges. “Since we could not maintain the money laundering charges based on SCUML’s response, we decided to focus on the Naira mutilation charges, to which Okuneye pleaded guilty,” she remarked.
Bala refuted suggestions that financial incentives influenced the decision to drop charges, insisting there was no such occurrence.
“There was absolutely no reason for that. The Administration of Criminal Justice Act allows for charge amendments, which is standard practice. Claims of financial influence are absurd. We consulted SCUML to obtain legal guidance, and upon confirmation of no law violations, we had no basis to keep the money laundering charges,” she emphasized.
Bala, while appearing with senior EFCC officials, urged the Committee to thoroughly investigate the issues related to the EFCC and to publicly share its findings to promote justice.
The Chief of Staff for the EFCC’s Chairman, Commander CE Michael Nzekwe, who represented the Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, reiterated the Commission’s commitment to its staff’s integrity.
“We take allegations of bribery against our officers very seriously. Integrity is a fundamental value of ours, which is why we are here to clarify the facts surrounding Okuneye’s trial,” he remarked.
Okuneye, previously convicted for Naira abuse, had claimed in a viral video that he attempted to bribe EFCC officers with N15 million to have the money laundering charges dismissed against him.
See Video Below;
In the alleged bribery investigation: We neither froze Bobrisky’s account nor requested any form of inducement to drop his money laundering charges. Following a thorough investigation, we withdrew the money laundering case.
— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) September 30, 2024
