Mukhtari Shagari, and some top officials of the PDP in
police custody
- The suspects were accused of misappropriating about
N500 million
- Their case has been adjourned to Thursday, May 24,
by Justice Saleh Idrissa, the presiding judge
A former deputy governor of Sokoto, Alhaji
Mukhtari Shagari, and four chieftains of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been
remanded by a Federal High Court sitting in the
state which was presided over by Justice Saleh
Idrissa on Tuesday, May 22, over alleged money
laundering
The looted fund amounted to N500 million from
former petroleum minister Diezani Alison-
Madueke’s alleged loot, This Day reports.
The rest four suspects were Ibrahim Gidado, the
former state commissioner for information, the
party's state treasurer, Nasiru Dalhatu, its
chairman Ibrahim Milgoma and Abdallah Wali, a
PDP governorship candidate in the 2015 election.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) prosecuting counsel, Johnson Ojogbane,
said the it preferred the five-count charge
against the accused persons bordering on money
laundering and cash transaction outside
regulated financial institution which contravened
Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 and
punishable under section 16 (2) (b) of the act.
Alhaji Mukhtari Shagari on his way to court with EFCC
officials (Photo Credit: EFCC)
One of the accused heading to court (Photo Credit: EFCC)
Another accused person arriving the federal High Court in
Sokoto (Photo Credit: EFCC)
Ojogbane said that the offences were committed
in March 2015, and the money was handed over
to the accused persons by one Abdulrahman
Ibrahim a day before the polls.
He said: “The Money Laundering Prohibition Act frowns
on money laundering and financing of illegal activities.
"There is a threshold to transact a cash business and when
you cross that threshold, it is an offence and there is
punishment for that. This issue has to do with the N500
million Diezani money that was given out for elections.”
Ojogbane further said that the charges came with
the affidavits, list of witnesses, summary of
evidences as well as proof of evidence.
However, after the reading of the charges, the
accused persons pleaded not guilty, denying the
allegations.
In reaction to this, Ojogbane opposed their
application for bail because the administrative
bail ended when they were served with charge
sheets.
He pleaded with the court to adhere to due
processes and sought for adjournment to
commence full trial.
Ibrahim Abdullahi, the counsel to Gidado and
Dalhatu and Milgoma, applied for an interim bail
for the accused persons pending the moving of
formal bail application filed by the defendants.
Abdullahi said that the defendants had been on
EFCC administration bail since 2016, emphasising
that the accused were not likely to endanger any
investigation.
Ibrahim Idris and Aiyelabegan Abdulkadiri,
counsel to Shagari and Wali respectively, aligned
themselves with Abdullahi’s submission on
granting the accused persons bail in continuation
of the administrative bail granted earlier.
Justice idrissa, therefore, adjourned the case to
Thursday, May 24, for hearing of bail application
for the accused persons and ordered that they
should be remanded in police custody in Sokoto.
Earlier, adegokblog .com had reported that Shagari, and
the PDP chiefs were to be arraigned before a
Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto on Tuesday,
May 22.
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