Yakubu’s Trial: Court to rule on EFCC’s request to inspect $9.8m cash February 17

Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja has reserved till February 17, ruling on the request by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the Court to visit the Kano branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and inspect the sums of $9,772,800 and £74000 which are instrumental to the charges brought against a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Andrew Yakubu.

The EFCC alleges that the defendant received huge sums of money without going through a financial institution.

At the resumed trial on January 14, 2021, the prosecution counsel M.S Abubakar prayed for an order of court to move to CBN Kano branch for the purpose of inspection of the sums of $9,772,800 and £74000 which are respective subjects of counts three and four of the charge.

Abubakar urged the court to grant the Locus in quo in the overall interest of justice.

However, defence counsel Ahmed Raji, SAN who adopted his counter affidavit and other processes urged the court to dismiss the application by the prosecution.

The learned silk argued that counts three and four can be effectively determined without a physical inspection of the cash sums of $9,772,800 and £74000.

The former NNPC GMD was arraigned on a six-count charge of money laundering. But four of the counts were struck out through a no case submission, leaving counts three and four.

The EFCC, acting on whistleblower information, had raided the defendant’s guest house situated at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna State, and recovered the alleged loot in a fireproof safe.