The Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District in the National Assembly (NASS), Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, who has been on the run months after the Court of Appeal Lagos Division convicted and sentenced him to 7 years imprisonment for money laundering, is finally in prison custody.
The lawmaker who was intercepted by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), at a Hospital in Lagos on Monday, February 6, was finally remanded in Ikoyi Custodial Centre today, February 8, 2023, to commence his prison term.
According to EFCC verified Facebook page, the Court of Appeal had in a judgement it delivered on July 1, 2022, sentenced him to prison after it convicted him on a two-count charge of money laundering and also ordered the winding up of his two companies, Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd, in line with the provision of Section 22 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2021, and their properties forfeited to the Federal Government.
But the lawmaker who was not present in court at the time of the ruling, went underground and refused to present himself to the Nigerian Correctional Service. Instead, he proceeded to the Supreme Court, praying the apex court to not only set it aside the judgment of the appeal court but grant him bail, pending the determination of his appeal.
But in a unanimous decision on January 27, 2023, the apex court dismissed the application. In the lead judgement by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court wondered why Nwaoboshi, who refused to submit himself to the law, would seek the indulgence of the law.
Justice Tijani Abubakar, in his contribution, upbraided the Appellant for filing the bail application while on the run.
“We must make it very, very clear to all Nigerians that nobody is above the law. The government and the governed are subject to the rule of law. And, we must ensure that there is respect for the rule of law”.
The Court of Appeal judgement that convicted Nwaoboshi followed an appeal by the EFCC against the judgment of Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of a Federal High Court in Lagos, which had on June 18, 2021, discharged and acquitted the lawmaker and his companies.
Nwaoboshi and his companies illegally acquired a property named Guinea House, Marine Road, in Apapa, Lagos, for N805 million. Part of the money paid for the property was transferred by Suiming Electrical Ltd on behalf of Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd. The funds are believed to be proceeds of illicit activities of the convict.
One of the counts reads: ” That you, Peter Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Projects Limited, between May and June, 2014, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did acquire a property described as Guinea House, Marina Road, Apapa, Lagos, for the sum of N805million, when you reasonably ought to have known that the sum of N322 million out of the purchase price transferred to the vendors by order of Suinming Electricals Limited formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of fraud and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act of 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section (15)(3) of the same Act.”
However, in what looks like trade of words by the Media team of Nwaoboshi over claims by EFCC intercepting Nwaoboshi, at a Hospital in Lagos, said the Senator surrendered himself but was not granted entry into the correctional facility.
See details below 👇
NWAOBOSHI: “EFCC PLAYING TO THE GALLERY, SENATOR SURRENDERED SELF” – SPON MEDIA TEAM
THE SPY Uncategorized 10th Feb 2023 3 Minutes
By Andrew Ajewole
The Senator Peter Nwaoboshi Media team, SPON has refuted the reports allegedly circulated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, signed by the Commission’s Spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, and published by a section of the Nigerian Media that, the Senator representing Delta North Senatorial district, was bursted and hounded into correctional centre saying, its a mere propaganda unbecoming of a supposed respectable organisation.
This was revealed in a statement by the Head of SPON Media Team, Philip Elueme, and released in Abuja, Friday to our correspondent noting that, nothing could be farther from the truth arguing that the high ranking Senator who is a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC surrendered himself even right from the time of conviction by the Appeal Court, even as he was not in court when convicted, “which in itself is legally perverse.”
For whatever reason, the image maker of the Senator noted that the anti graft agency chose to play to the gallery by misrepresenting facts to drive home its vendetta against a “law abiding gentleman and lawmaker for that matter” with intent to disparage him by dispensing falsehood to create wrong impression in unsuspecting members of the public.
Recall that, the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos had convicted the Senator on a 2-count charge on July 1, 2022 at the heels of the judgement delivered by the Justice Chukwujeku Aneke, of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos which discharge and acquitted him on same counts brought by the anti graft agency with 322 million naira at the centre of the money laundering allegation, contrary to 850 million naira being bandied by the agency.
“The distinguished Senator and two others filed appeal at the supreme court, Abuja, against the judgement of the court of Appeal, which is still pending.”
However, as against the claim by the EFCC that it arrested the Senator from his hidden place, the Media team holds that the Senator shortly after his conviction surrendered himself to the Ikoyi Correctional Centre but was refused entry by the authority on the ground that the Service was not in possession of his detention warrant from the court.
Thereafter, Elueme stressed further that, the embattled Senator who is the Chairman of the Senate committee on Niger Delta Affairs, went again but for the second time refused entry into the custodial centre due to same reason maintaining that the statement issued and signed by Uwujaren was in bad light and ill conceived saying at no point did Nwaoboshi evade detention. “Could he have gone into the correctional facility without a duly procured detention warrant or defiantly imprison himself?”
According to the statement, Senator Nwaoboshi was admitted to the hospital where he had been receiving treatment and at no time was his whereabout unknown to the EFCC who had visited him there previously, saying, neither has he any intention to evade imprisonment.
The Media team averred that:
“The attention of the Senator Peter Nwaoboshi Media Team has been drawn to a news report initiated by the the Spokesperson of the EFCC as reported by a section of the media to wit: “850m Scam: Nwaoboshi Lands In Prison.
“We wish to state as follows:
Senator Nwaoboshi, contrary to false impression from his persecutors was never evasive and on many instances presented himself to the correctional center but was declined access because EFCC knowingly or ignorantly failed to obtain the needed remand warrant from the Court.
“It was at the prompting of the distinguished Senator through his lawyers that the Remand warrant was procured on the 7th February in Lagos. Attempts made by the senator, even through his lawyers to procure this same warrant, was not possible since they were told it was not in their place to process the document.
“We challenge the EFCC to exhibit the date on the Remand Order and tell the world why it took them 7 months after the judgement of the court of appeal to obtain a remand warrant.The truth is incontrovertible and we invite the EFCC and it’s co-travelers to controvert this position.” The February 8 dated-letter states in part.
Pointedly, the Media Team called on the teaming followers of the Senator and the Nigerian public not to pander to the propaganda machinery and the media trial of the EFCC noting that, on no account did Nwaoboshi attempt to evade imprisonment.
