Court convicts man caught with $7.05m cash

To forfeit 25% of undeclared cash

 

A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday convicted a 25-year old man, Abubakar Tijjani Sheriff, charged with false declaration under the Money Laundering Law.

Sheriff was arrested by security operatives on September 27 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on his way to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for declaring less than the cash he had on him.

He declared $4.500million to Customs officials, but he was found to possess $7.05million when he was searched.

He was arraigned yesterday before Justice C. J. Anieke, on a one-count charge and was accused of violating the provisions of Section 12 of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provision) Act Cap F34, laws of Nigeria, 2004 and 2(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2011, offence punishable under Section 2(5) of the Money Laundering (prohibition) Act, 2011.

Sheriff pleaded guilty to the charge and appealed to the court for leniency.

Justice Anieke convicted Sheriff. He was not sentenced to any term of imprisonment, but was ordered to forfeit part of the money.

The judge ordered that he forfeits 25 per cent of the excess of what he actually declared – estimated at $637, 631, – to the government.

The judge, in considering his plea for clemency and the information that the funds were not proceeds of crime, ordered the prosecuting agency, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to release to the convict the rest of the money after the deduction.

He said Sheriff was a first time offender and that his incarceration since his arrest was “enough eye opener.”

Prosecution lawyer Aliyu Yusuf said after Sheriff’s arrest, the funds were deposited in a GT Bank account for safe-keeping.

He urged the court to convict Sheriff as charged, having pleaded guilty.

Sheriff’s lawyer Obafemi Ogundare prayed the court to be lenient with his client and temper justice with mercy.

He told the court that the money found on his client was contributed by 20 traders, who wanted the convict to help them buy cheap goods from Dubai.

He said the traders voluntarily went to EFCC office to claim ownership of the money on learning that Sheriff had been apprehended.

Ogundare further told the court that the money involved was not proceed of crime and that there was no intention to deliberately commit crime.

He urged the court to order the forfeiture of the 25 percent of undeclared amount as required by law.

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Posted: at 24-10-2012 09:46 AM (11 years ago) | Gistmaniac

A Nigerian court issuing judgement on a crime related offense under a period of 1month!. It is absolutely impossible in Nigerian justice system to handled a criminal case so fast as they were claiming now!. A 27 years old money laundaring agent used by the higher ranked Nigerian politicials for banking our public money in their personal accounts overseas for their selfish interests was released without any jail term just bcos he was working for the BOSS in Nigerian corrupt political system!. You pple telling us that a court in Lagos had released that criminal was just as the Nigerian govt thought that ordinary citizens of the nation re fools bcos we never reacts no matter how evil they committes against us!. Our leaders believed we will never know that that man was released through the ''back-door'' just bcos he was an agent for the Nigeria corrupt leadership!.

Posted: at 24-10-2012 10:42 AM (11 years ago) | Upcoming