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One Augustine Onwuasonya has been arraigned at a Federal High Court in Lagos State by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for allegedly swallowing the sum of $115,000, to avoid declaring it to officials of the Nigeria Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
In a statement released by the anti-graft agency, Onwuasonya was arraigned for money laundering alongside five of his accomplices before Justice C.J Aneke and they include Christian Okoli, Kingsley Nwokenta, aka Buchito, Nwokenta Emmanuel, Ezenwa Ikenna and Ezenwa Uzoma.
The EFCC prosecutor, Ayokunle Fayanju, alleged that Onwuasonya and the others committed the offence on August 25, 2015.
Fayanju said the men acted contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012, and were liable to being punished under Section 2(5) of the same Act.
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The sixth accused, Uzoma, was singularly charged with the offence of obstructing an NDLEA official, Bello Tsanya, in the discharge of his duty, which, according to Fayanju, is against the provisions of Section 22 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012), and was liable to being punished under the provisions of Section 22(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012).
However, when the charges were read to the accused, all of them pleaded not guilty, forcing Fayanju to plead with the Judge to set a new date for a trial so that the agency can bring their witnesses. He also prayed that they all be remanded in prison custody pending the trial.
Justice Aneke therefore adjourned the case till December 11, 2015, to take the bail applications of the accused and ordered their remand at the Ikoyi Prison.