trial of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, representing Delta North, Delta State.
Nwaoboshi was re-arraigned on Friday, October 5, 2018, alongside two
companies, Golden Touch Construction Project Limited and Suinming
Electrical Limited, on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and
money laundering to the tune of N322million.
One of the charges 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.”
At the resumed hearing today, the prosecution counsel, Wale Ogunde, SAN,
informed the court that he received a notice from the defence counsel on
March 26, 2019 that it would not be convenient for the first defendant
to be present in court during the proceedings scheduled for May 6, 2019
(today) and May 7, 2019 (tomorrow).
“In view of this notice, I told my witness, who works in a bank, that
the case would not go on today. I also assured him that I would convey
the next adjourned date to him.
“Up until I sighted both the defence counsel and the defendant in court
today, I had not received any counter-notice that the defendant would be
present in court today,” Ogunde said.
Consequently, Justice Aneke adjourned the case to May 28 and 29, 2019
for continuation of trial and ruling.