‘N21bn fraud’: Court quashes charge against ex-air chief Amosu

A federal high court in Lagos has quashed a money laundering charge preferred against Adesola Amosu, a former chief of air staff, and two others. 

In 2018, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) re-arraigned the defendants on an amended 13-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N21 billion.

The defendants were alleged to have conspired and converted funds belonging to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to personal use.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Air Marshal Adesola Amosun Nunayon (Retd.), Air Vice Marshal Jacob Bola Adigun, and Air Commodore Gbadebo Owodunni Olugbenga, on or about the 5th day of March 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court”.

“Conspired amongst yourselves to convert the total sum of N21,467,634,707.43 (Twenty One Billion, Four Hundred and Sixty-seven Million, Six Hundred and Thirty Four Thousand, Seven Hundred and Seven Naira, Forty-three Kobo), property of the Nigerian Air Force,” the charge reads.

“Which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: criminal breach of trust, and hereby committed an offence contrary to section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011( as amended) and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act.”

At the hearing on Tuesday, Chukwujekwu Aneke, the presiding judge, upheld a preliminary objection by the defence counsel challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case.

The defence counsel had objected to the hearing on the grounds that the defendants were serving officers of the military at the time, and that the defendants were only subject to trial by a court-martial, since they were still officers when the suit was preferred against them.

Amosu was Nigeria’s 19th chief of air staff. He occupied the position from 2014 to 2015.