The six
central bank staffers indicted in an alleged N8billion have been remanded in
prison custody.
Here are
the details
Six
executives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) implicated in an alleged N8
billion defaced and mutilated currency recycling scam were on Tuesday remanded
in prison custody.
They had
been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The suspects, Patience Okoro Eye, Afolabi
Olufemi Johnson, Ilori Adekunle Sunday, Kolawole Babalola, Olaniran Muniru
Adeola and Fatai Adedokun Yusuf, were arraigned on a five-count charge
bordering on conspiracy, fraud and stealing before Justice Nathaniel
Ayo-Emmanuel of a federal high court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo state.
According
to Wilson Uwujaren, head of media and publicity, EFCC, the CBN employees were
alleged to have compromised the CBN’s Briquetting exercise meant to mop up
mutilated and defaced higher denomination currencies from circulation.
Instead of destroying the currencies, they
allegedly recycled the notes and substituted them with newspapers neatly cut to
Naira sizes. When the charges were read to them, they pleaded not guilty
prompting Rotimi Jacobs, prosecuting counsel, to ask the court for a trial date
and for the defendants to be remanded in prison custody.
However, Olayinka Bolanle, counsel to the
fourth accused, made an oral application for bail arguing that the offence is
not a capital offence while all other counsel for the remaining accused persons
adopted the argument of Bolanle.
Jacobs opposed their bail applications in view
of the gravity of the offences arguing that they should be remanded in prison
custody pending when the court would receive a written application for bail and
urged counsel to the defendants to present their bail applications formally to
court.
Justice Emmanuel ruling on the oral bail
application made by the six defence counsel ordered the remand of the accused
at the Agodi Prisons in Ibadan and adjourned the matter to June 9, 2015 for
hearing of the bail applications and July 6 and 7, 2015 for commencement of
trial
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