On Monday, September 30, 2024, Bilikisu Bala, a Prosecutor with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), clarified the reasons behind the agency's decision to withdraw money laundering charges against Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky.
Bala provided this explanation during a session with a Joint Committee of the House of Representatives that is investigating corruption allegations involving certain EFCC and Nigeria Correctional Service officials.
The controversy began when Bobrisky, a former convict, claimed in a widely circulated video that he had offered a bribe of N15,000,000 (Fifteen Million Naira) to unnamed EFCC officers to have the money laundering charges against him dismissed.
In response, the EFCC prosecutor stated that the decision to drop the charges was lawful and adhered to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
Bala, who led the prosecution team in Okuneye's case, informed the Committee that the charges were dismissed following information from the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML), which indicated that Okuneye’s business, Bob Express, did not qualify as a Designated Non-Financial Institution, Business and Profession (DSNFIBP) and therefore could not be prosecuted for violating the Money Laundering Prevention & Prohibition Act of 2022.
“We initially filed six counts related to Naira Abuse and Money Laundering against Okuneye, based on his admission that Bob Express was not registered with SCUML and was not submitting required returns,” Bala explained.
“Counts 1-4 pertained to Naira Abuse, while counts five and six addressed money laundering.”
“Okuneye’s confession that he didn’t register his firm, Bob Express with SCUML and not rendering returns to it informed the money laundering charges initially included in the six count charges. However, when we wrote to SCUML on the status of the firm, the Unit responded that it was not a Designated Non-Financial Institution, Business and Profession, DSNFIBP. We cannot lawfully sustain the charges in all sincerity. We, therefore dropped them and relied on the four counts on Naira mutilation to which Okuneye had pleaded guilty,” Bala explained.
The prosecutor refuted allegations of financial incentive in the dismissal of charges, asserting that such an occurrence did not transpire. “There is simply no basis for that. The Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, allows amendment of charges. It is a professional practice. It is laughable for anyone to attribute our decision to monetary issues. Why did we write to SCUML if we didn’t want to include the charges? We wrote to be lawfully guided and when the Unit responded that the firm had not breached any law, on what basis should we have retained the money laundering charges?”, Bala queried.
Bala, accompanied by senior management personnel from the EFCC, urged the Committee to thoroughly investigate all allegations made against the EFCC and to publicly disclose its findings in the pursuit of justice.
The Chief of Staff to the EFCC Chairman, Commander CE Michael Nzekwe, who represented Chairman Ola Olukoyede, emphasized the Commission's commitment to maintaining the integrity of its staff.
“We viewed the allegation of bribery against our officers seriously. Integrity is one of our core values. This is why we are here to place all the facts involved in the trial of Okuneye in the public domain,” he stated.