Court Dismiss N21bn Money Laundering Charge Against Ex-Air Chief, Amosun

The N21.5 billion money laundering case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against former Chief of Air Staff Adesola Amosun and two other individuals was dismissed by the Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday.

Amosun was charged with 26 counts by the EFCC on June 29, 2016, together with former Nigeria Air Force Chief of Accounts and Budgeting Air Vice Marshal Jacob Adigun and former Director of Finance and Budget Air Commodore Gbadebo Olugbenga.

However, they were re-arrested before Judge Chukwujekwu Aneke on a 13-count amended charge with the file number FHC/L/280C/16 pertaining to N21.5 billion in money laundering.

The accused were brought before the law on charges of conspiring and misappropriating NAF funding for their own benefit.

Justice Aneke granted the defendants’ prayers on Tuesday when she ruled on their application to have the charge against them dismissed.

She did this by upholding a preliminary objection that contested the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case on the grounds that the defendants were active military officers at the time.

The judge held, “As officers of the armed forces, they ought to have been first investigated by the armed forces and tried rather than charging them before this court.”

He ruled that Amosun’s January 30, 2015, investigation was invalid.

The amended charges against the defendants were also overturned by Justice Aneke. [CONTINUE READING HERE]