Trial postponed until March 4 as court seizes former Anambra governor Obiano’s travel documents

Willie Obiano, the immediate past governor of Anambra State, has been granted bail by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Additionally, the judge mandated that Obiano be limited to the court’s jurisdiction.

He gave the order for the defendant’s travel documentation to be deposited with the court registrar by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Ekwo then gave the registrar instructions to report the development to the Nigerian Immigration Service.

Slyvanus Tahir, SAN, the prosecution’s attorney, had asked the court to remand the former governor.

He then postponed the case till March 4, 5, 6, and 7 in order to continue the trial.

The EFCC was scheduled to arraign former Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano for suspected fraud before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, according to a report published by SaharaReporters on Tuesday.

Obiano would be charged by the anti-graft agency for allegedly laundering N4,008,573,350 that belonged to the Anambra State government during his tenure in office.

Former Governor Obiano was detained at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, while getting ready to catch a trip to Houston, Texas, according to a previous report from DDM News.

The EFCC had stated that he had been on their watch list for some time due to corruption charges, and that his arrest had occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m.

Nonetheless, a complaint brought before the Federal High Court in Abuja revealed that the former governor would face nine counts from the EFCC, all of which had to do with money laundering and unlawful removal of security votes.

Slyvanus Tahir, SAN, will lead eight other attorneys in the former governor’s trial, per court filings.

The EFCC accused Obiano of illegally transferring N4,008,573,350 from security votes into many accounts, where it was subsequently exchanged for dollars and given back to him in cash, according to court documents.

Among the accusations were the following: “That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, somewhere between March 2014 and March 2022, while serving as the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria, Within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, between February 7 and February 18, 2018, in Abuja, N156,800.00 was transferred indirectly through your then-primary private secretary, Mr. Willie Nwokoye, from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account No. 5030050875 domiciled in Fidelity Bank Pic into the Fidelity Bank Plc Account No. 6060018819 belonging to C.I. Patty Ventures Nigeria Limited, an organization that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government. The funds were spent for purposes unrelated to or 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 Honorable Court, N261,268,585.00 only was indirectly transferred 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), through Mr. Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary. The funds were spent for unrelated purposes unrelated to the security matters of Anambra State, and you thereby committed an offense against Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012, which is punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act. You reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption).

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