A former acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Anamekwe Nwabuoku on Wednesday, pleaded for more time to return looted funds.
He pleaded with Justice James Omotoso, the presiding judge of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to give him more time to conclude the refund of the public funds allegedly looted by him and co-defendant in the suit.
Nwabuoku and his co-defendant, Felix Nweke, are facing an 11-count money laundering charge preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Nwabuoku and Nweke, a former Deputy Director in the Ministry of Defence, are being prosecuted for money laundering offences to the tune of N1.6 billion
Nwabuoku served briefly as the acting Accountant-General of the Federation, appointed on May 20, 2022, under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, following the suspension of Ahmed Idris over alleged N80 billion fraud.
However, Nwabuoku was removed from the position in July 2022.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the defendants requested an adjournment for their arraignment to finalize the refund process. Nweke’s lawyer, Emeka Onyeaka, informed the court of new developments, stating that Nweke had made substantial refunds to the anti-graft agency.
Onyeaka noted that the EFCC had received the funds and was in communication with them.
Nwabuoku’s lawyer, Maduakolam Igwe, supported Onyeaka’s submission, confirming that his client had also made significant refunds and was in communication with the EFCC.
In response, EFCC counsel Ogechi Ujam acknowledged the receipt of a proposal letter but stressed that no formal negotiation, settlement, or agreement had been reached. Ujam urged the court to proceed with the defendants’ arraignment.
After considering the submissions, Justice Omotosho adjourned the case until October 14 for the arraignment.