News
EFCC Clears Air on Dropped Charges Against Bobrisky, Rejects Bribery Claims
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied allegations of accepting a bribe to drop money laundering charges against Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky.
On Monday, the EFCC clarified that the money laundering charges were dropped following Bobrisky’s court confession about naira abuse and disclosure from the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML).
SCUML revealed that Bobrisky’s company, Bob Express, was not classified as a Designated Non-Financial Institution, Business, and Profession (DNFIBP), making it ineligible for prosecution under the Money Laundering Prevention & Prohibition Act, 2022.
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Bilikisu Bala, the head of the EFCC’s prosecution team, made this clarification while appearing before a House of Representatives investigative committee examining the alleged ₦15 million bribery involving Bobrisky and the EFCC. Bala emphasized that the agency has the legal authority to amend charges and denied any suggestion of bribery in this case.
“We initially filed six charges against Okuneye, related to naira abuse and money laundering, based on his confession that his company, Bob Express, was not registered with SCUML and was not submitting returns. However, after contacting SCUML, they confirmed that the firm was not a DNFIBP.
As a result, we could not lawfully pursue the money laundering charges and dropped them, focusing instead on the naira abuse charges to which Okuneye pleaded guilty,” Bala stated.
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Bala rejected accusations of financial inducement, emphasizing that the decision to drop the charges was purely professional. “The Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) allows for the amendment of charges, and it’s absurd to suggest monetary motives behind our actions. We sought clarification from SCUML and acted based on their response,” she added.
The committee’s chairman, Ginger Onwusibe, noted that the individual who made the audio recording alleging bribery should attend the next session. The meeting was then adjourned indefinitely.
Meanwhile, Bobrisky’s lawyer, Avwerosuoghene Omuvwie, informed the committee that his client could not attend the session due to health issues.
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