On Monday, Bilikisu Bala, a prosecutor with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated that the money laundering charges against Idris Okuneye (a.k.a. Bobrisky) were dropped in accordance with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Bala, who led the prosecution team, explained that the charges were dismissed following a disclosure from the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering, which indicated that Okuneye’s firm, Bob Express, was not a Designated Non-Financial Institution and could not be prosecuted under the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
Speaking before a Joint Committee of the House of Representatives investigating alleged corruption within the EFCC and the Nigeria Correctional Service, Bala noted that the initial charges were based on Okuneye’s confession that his firm was unregistered with SCUML and was not submitting necessary returns. The prosecution had originally raised six counts, including four related to Naira abuse and two for money laundering.
However, after consulting SCUML, which confirmed that Bob Express did not qualify as a Designated Non-Financial Institution, Bala stated, “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 rejected claims that financial inducements influenced the decision to drop the charges, emphasizing that it was a lawful and professional decision guided by the law. She said, “It is laughable for anyone to attribute our decision to monetary issues. We wrote to SCUML to be lawfully guided, and when they confirmed there was no breach, we had no basis to retain the money laundering charges.”
