A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja will on Monday January 21 sentenced one Abdulrasheed Ibrahim for attempting to smuggle $188,858 out of the country.
The accused person had on Thursday January 17 pleaded guilty to the one-count charge of money laundering preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ibrahim was arrested on Wednesday November 7, 2012 while preparing to board a Dubai, United Arab Emirates-bound Ethiopian Airline and a total of $188,858 was found on him. He had declared the sum of $45,000 but a search revealed additional $143, 858. Upon arraignment on Thursday, the accused pleaded guilty to the charge.
Prosecuting counsel, Chioma Okongwu tendered evidence of a certified true copy of export currency tendering list along with the sum of $188,858.00 and prayed the court to convict the accused accordingly.
Surprisingly, defense counsel, Abubakar Y. Ndakele raised no objection to the tendering of exhibits marked 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. The trial judge, Justice Adamu Bello, adjourned the case to 21st January 2013 for sentencing.
The charge against the accused reads: “that you Abdulrasheed Ibrahim on or about the 7th of November 2012 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court while transporting in cash the sum of US 188,858.00 only from Nigeria to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, falsely declared to the Nigerian Customs Service the sum of $45,000.00 only instead of the said sum of US$188,858.00 as required under Section 12 of the Foreign Exchange (monitoring and miscellaneous provisions) Act Cap. F34 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Section 2(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 2(5) of the money laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.”
