Paris Club Scam: The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) has on Wednesday, October 3, 2018, arraigned Gbenga Makanjuola, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, before Justice Babs O. Kuewumi sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos on an amended 11-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy, accepting cash payment beyond threshold and money laundering to the tune of N3.5billion ((Three Billion, Five Hundred Million Naira).
In a press statement released by the anti-graft agency a few hours ago, said Makanjuola is charged alongside Kolawole Shittu, cashier to the Senate President; Robert Chidozie Mbonu, a former Managing Director, Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, SGBN (who is at large), Melrose General Services Limited and Obiora Amobi, Operation Manager, Melrose General Services Limited.
The charges by EFCC against the accused on the Paris Club Scam reads:
One of the counts reads:
“That you, Gbenga Makanjuola, sometime in December 2016 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did accept a cash payment of the sum of $500, 000. 00 (Five Hundred Thousand Dollars Only) from Kolawole Shittu without going through a financial institution and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012) and punishable under Section 16 (2) (b) of the same Act.”
According to the EFCC report, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.
In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Ekene Iheanacho, asked the court for a trial date and also prayed that the defendants be remanded in prison custody.
Iheanacho also told the court that he had received bail applications from the defence counsels on behalf of their clients.
He, however, added that he had responded with a counter-affidavit to the bail applications.
Iheanacho, therefore, urged the court to refuse the bail applications by the defendants.
He said: “My Lord, the defendants were not responding to invitations until we threatened to revoke the administrative bail granted them”.