Immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, will today be arraigned on nine-count charges before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over an alleged N4,008,573,350 money laundering offences.
The anti-graft agency alleged that the ex-governor moved N4,008,573,350 from security votes into different accounts. It added that the money, at various times, was changed into dollars and returned to Obiano in cash.
Competent sources at the commission confirmed to Daily Sun that Obiano will be prosecuted by Sylvester Tahir before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The Chairman, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, had recently vowed to review all abandoned high-profile cases, especially those involving former governors and ministers.
Obiano, who has been on the EFCC’s watch-list for sometime, was eventually arrested over corruption allegations. He was first arrested on March 17, 2022, at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, as he was about to board a flight to Houston, the United States of America.
Some of the charges read: “That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, whilst being the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria, between March 2014 – March 2022, sometime between 7th February, 2018 to 18th February, 2019, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly transferred, through Mr Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary, the sum of N156,800.00 only from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account No: 5030050875, domiciled in Fidelity Bank Plc into the Fidelity Bank Plc Account No: 6060018819 belonging to C.I. Patty Ventures Nigeria Limited (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government), which funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated/unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State, which you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption) and you, thereby, committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.
“That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, whilst being the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria, between March 2014 — March 2022, sometime between 9th August, 2017 to 4th March, 2020, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly transferred through Mr Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary, the sum of N261,268,585.00 only from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account No: 5030050875 domiciled in Fidelity Bank Plc into the Fidelity Bank Plc Account No: 5600062873 belonging to Easy Diamond Integrated Link (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government), which funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated/unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State, which you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption) and you, thereby, committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.”
