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| Bobrisky |
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has stated that the money laundering charges against Bobrisky were dropped in accordance with the law.
Prosecutor Bilikisu Bala informed a House of Representatives committee on September 30, 2024, that the charges were dismissed after the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML) confirmed that Bobrisky's business, Bob Express, was not classified as a Designated Non-Financial Institution.
Bala emphasized that the decision to drop the charges was lawful and not influenced by any financial inducement, countering allegations of bribery made by Bobrisky in a viral video.
“We initially raised six count charges bordering on Naira abuse and money laundering against Okuneye based on his confessional statement that his firm, Bob Express, was not registered with SCUML and was not rendering returns to it.
“Counts 1-4 were on Naira abuse while counts five and six were on 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,” the prosecutor said.
“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, DNFIBP. 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 dismissed claims of financial inducement in dropping charges maintaining that no such thing happened.
“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?”
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