19th January, 2013
A Nigerian Federal High Court sitting in Abuja will on Monday January 21, 2013 sentence one Abdulrasheed Ibrahim for attempting to smuggle $188,858 out of Nigeria .
The accused person on Thursday January 17, 2013 pleaded guilty to the one count charge of money laundering preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Ibrahim was arrested on Wednesday November 7, 2012 as he prepared to board a Dubai , United Arab Emirates bound Ethiopia Airline.
A total of $188,858 (one hundred and eighty eight thousand, eight hundred and fifty eight United States Dollars) was found on him. He had declared the sum of forty five thousand USD ($45,000) but a search revealed additional $143, 858.Upon arraignment on Thursday January 17, 2013, the accused pleaded guilty to the charge.
The prosecuting counsel, Chioma Okongwu tendered evidence of a certified true copy of export currency tendering list along with the sum of US 188,858.00 and prayed the court to convict the accused accordingly.
The defense Counsel Abubakar Y. Ndakele raised no objection to the tendering of exhibit, marked 1,2,3,4 respectively.
The trial judge, Justice Adamu Bello adjourned the case to January 21, 2013 for sentencing.
The charge against the accused reads: “that you Abdulrasheed Ibrahim on or about the 7th of November 2012 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court while transporting in cash the sum of US 188,858.00(One hundred and eighty eight thousand, eight hundred and fifty eight United States dollars)only from Nigeria to Dubai, United Arab Emirates falsely declared to the Nigerian Customs Service the sum of $45,000.00 (forty five thousand United State dollars) only instead of the said sum of US$188,858.00 as required under section 12 of the foreign exchange (monitoring and miscellaneous provisions) Act Cap. F34 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Section 2(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 2(5) of the money laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011”.