A senator who had been on the run after being sentenced to seven years in prison for corruption more than seven months ago has been apprehended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Peter Nwaoboshi, a senator for Nigeria’s Delta North, was found guilty on 1 July 2022 by the Court of Appeal in Lagos of fraud and money laundering on two counts.
The senator, who was absent when his prison sentence was handed out, had gone into hiding to avoid serving his time.
According to a statement published on Wednesday by the anti-graft agency, Mr Nwaoboshi was detained by EFCC agents at a hospital in Lagos on Monday, after having been on the run for more than seven months.
Wilson Uwujaren, a spokesman for the EFCC, claimed that the prisoner “was ultimately remanded in Ikoyi Custodial Centre today, February 8, 2023, to begin his jail term.”
Mr Nwaoboshi attempted from hiding to secure post-conviction bail from the Supreme Court but was unsuccessful.
On January 27th, the Supreme Court decided against him, stating that it could not issue bail while he remained at large.
Mr. Nwaoboshi’s actions, according to Supreme Court Justice Tijjani Abubakar, who served on the panel that reviewed the motion, were an attack on the rule of law.
Having a lawmaker who disregards the rule of law is a tragic turn for our democracy.
“It’s unfortunate that this has come to pass. A smack in the face of democracy and the rule of law.
During his speech, Mr Abubakar said, “…nobody is above the law. The rule of law applies equally to the government and the governed. And we need to make sure the rule of law is upheld.
To elaborate, Mr Abubakar urged legislators to “lead by example.”
They’re the ones who establish the rules, therefore it’s only fair that they follow them. If they don’t follow the rules, then they’re not doing their job.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stated in a statement released on Wednesday that its agents had detained him on Monday at a hospital in Lagos.
He was found guilty on two counts of money laundering totalling N805 million, and the Court of Appeal handed down its judgement on the case on 1 July 2022, sentencing him to jail.
The two businesses he owned were also ordered closed by the court.
Following the filing of a petition under Section 22 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2021, the court ordered the dissolution of Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd.
All of the firms’ property was also turned over to the federal government as part of the forfeiture process.
Senator Nwaoboshi Gets Sentenced for N805m Scam
Peter Nwaoboshi, Senator for Delta North in the National Assembly, has been captured after being on the run for months following his conviction and 7-year jail term for money laundering by the Court of Appeal Lagos Division. A politician who was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, February 6, in a hospital in Lagos has been remanded in Ikoyi Custodial Centre as of today, February 8, 2023, to begin serving his jail sentence.
Following his conviction on two counts of money laundering and the Court of Appeal’s order that his companies, Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd be dissolved and their assets forfeited to the Federal Government in accordance with Section 22 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2021, he was sentenced to prison on July 1, 2022.
However, the legislator who was not in court when the verdict was made disappeared and has not been seen by the Nigerian Correctional Service since. Instead, he took his case all the way to the Supreme Court, where he asked the justices to not only reverse the decision of the appeals court but also release him on bond while his case was being reviewed.
On January 27, 2023, however, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the petition. The leading ruling was written by Justice Emmanuel Agim, who questioned why Nwaoboshi, who had refused to subject himself to the law, would seek the indulgence of the law.
In his opinion, Justice Tijani Abubakar criticised the Appellant for seeking for bail although he was wanted by the law.
No one in Nigeria should ever think they are immune to punishment. The rule of law applies equally to the government and the governed. And we have to make sure everyone abides by the law.
The EFCC appealed Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke’s June 18, 2021, decision to dismiss and acquit Nwaoboshi and his firms from a Federal High Court in Lagos, which led to the conviction by the Court of Appeal.
Nwaoboshi and his businesses bought the Guinea House on Marine Road in Apapa, Lagos for N805 million, despite the fact that it was purchased unlawfully. Suiming Electrical Ltd transferred a portion of the purchase price for the property to Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd. The money is suspected to be the result of the criminal’s operations.
The complaint states, in part, “That you, Peter Nwaoboshi, and Golden Touch Construction Projects Limited, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did acquire a property described as Guinea House, Marina Road, Apapa, Lagos, for the sum of N805million, when you reasonably ought to have known that the sum of N322million out of the purchase price transferred to the vendors by order of Suinming Electricals Limited formed part of the proceeds from the sale of the Guinea House.”
