Alleged N1.96bn Fraud: Ex-AGF, Anamekwe, Docked, Gets N500m Bail
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, granted bail to a former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation, AGF, Anamekwe Nwabuoku, who is facing a money laundering charge, to the tune of N500million.
Justice James Omotosho admitted the defendant to bail after he pleaded not guilty to an amended nine-count charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him.
As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered the defendant to produce
two sureties that must be owners of landed properties within Abuja.
Aside from mandating the sureties to depose to an affidavit of means, the court stressed that the value of each of the properties must not be below N250m.
Justice Omotosho equally held that the sureties must submit both their bank statements and tax clearance certificates for three years, adding that the documents would be verified by the Deputy Registrar of the court.
It will be recalled that Nwabuoku was in May 2022, appointed to temporarily take charge of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), after the then AGF, Ahmed Idris, was suspended from office and eventually placed on trial for allegedly laundering public funds totalling about N80.2billion.
EFCC later maintained that the Acting AGF, Nwabuoku, had before his appointment, also dipped his hands into the till.
Investigations into the allegation led to his removal from the office in July 2022, few weeks after he was appointed.
In the initial 11-count charge it brought before the court, the anti-graft agency alleged that the ex-Acting AGF and a former Deputy Director in the Ministry of Defence, Mr. Felix Nweke, where involved in a N1.96bn fraud.
While Nwabuoku was cited as the 1st defendant in the case, Nweke was listed as the 2nd defendant in the case.
The duo had last year, persuaded the court to suspend their trial to enable them to perfect a plea-bargain deal with the EFCC.
However, when the matter was called up on Wednesday, the EFCC disclosed that Nweke, who was present in court and mounted the dock, was no longer a defendant in the amended charge.
The commission resolved to use the erstwhile 2nd defendant as a lead prosecution witness in the trial of the former Acting AGF.
In the amended charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/240/24, the EFCC alleged that Nwabuoku perpetuated the fraud in connivance with four companies- Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited (at large), Turge Global Investment Limited (at large), Laptev Bridge Limited, Arafura Transnational Afro Limited.
It alleged that the defendant committed an offence that was contrary to Section 18 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011, as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012, and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.
EFCC alleged that former Acting AGF committed the crime while he served as the Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021.
