The Federal Government through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), has re-arraigned Shamsudeen Bala, son to the former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed on a 15 count charge.
Ben Ikani, prosecuting counsel at the resumption of trial informed Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of an Abuja Federal High court about an amended charge dated May 25, 2017, filed on May 30, 2017 which was served on the defence within the court.
He was earlier arraigned on a 15 count charge bothering on conspiracy and intentional failure to declare his assets, but the amended charge according to Ikani was to specify the various sums of money in local and foreign currencies found in his account number 0000895020 domiciled with Standard Chartered bank.
Counsel representing the defendant, Chris Uche SAN however, informed that he had just been showed a copy of the amended charge, lamenting that it is against practice of the Federal High Court directions, for the prosecution to have just filed the amended charge after the matter had been adjourned over some months.
“This is more serious than how the prosecution is seeing it, he is trying to prosecute the first defendant on a matter he was not arraigned for, urging the court for more time to study the charge”, Uche argued.
Ikani however did not object to the adjournment being sort.
The court advised that the prosecution should have had the charge amended on time and have the defendant served.
The court however suggested standing down the matter for the defence to study the charge.
The amended charge was subsequently read to the defendant to which he pleaded not guilty after both parties agreed to have the plea taken.
Uche sought the court that the first defendant be allowed to enjoy the existing bail conditions earlier granted him by the court.
In the light of the plea to charge, Justice Dimgba held that the first defendant shall continue to enjoy the bail conditions, while the trial was adjourned to June 26, 2017.
He was arraigned together with four companies, Bird Trust Agro Allied Ltd, Intertrans Global Logistics Ltd, Diakin Telecommunications Ltd, and Bal-Vac Mining Nigeria Ltd, where the sum of N1,105,719,005 was allegeded to have been nvolved in the offences allegedly committed by the defendants.
They were accused of money laundering and falsification of assets, carrying out business transactions worth billions of naira in violation of Money Laundering Act, including payment of various cash sums of money beyond the limit set by the Money Laundering Act for purchase of houses without going through a financial institution.
The suspect allegedly concealed four of his accounts : 0001857597, 5001214708, 0000895037 and 000895020 domiciled at Standard Chartered Bank.
SEYI ANJORIN, Abuja
