Months after he was sentenced to seven years in prison for money laundering, the Senator representing Delta North at the National Assembly, Peter Nwaoboshi was finally nabbed by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission {EFCC} on Monday.
Nwaoboshi, who was convicted by the Court of Appeal on July 1, 2022, had been on the run and failing to submit himself to the Nigeria Correctional Service for prison committal, was subsequently sent to Ikoyi Prison on Wednesday to serve his prison term.
The Court of Appeal had sentenced Nwaoboshi to prison after it convicted him on a two-count charge of money laundering and also ordered the winding up of his two companies, Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd, in line with the provision of Section 22 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2021, and their properties forfeited to the Federal Government.
The lawmaker, who was not present in court at the time of the ruling, went underground and instead of submitting himself to the NCS, proceeded to the Supreme Court, praying the court to not only set it aside the judgment of the Appeal Court, but grant him bail, pending the determination of his appeal.
The apex court, however, in a unanimous decision on January 27, 2023, dismissed the application.
Justice Emmanuel Agim, in his lead judgement, wondered why Nwaoboshi, who refused to submit himself to the law, would seek the indulgence of the law.
Also, Justice Tijani Abubakar, in his contribution, upbraided the appellant for filing the bail application while on the run.
“We must make it very, very clear to all Nigerians that nobody is above the law. The government and the governed are subject to the rule of law. And, we must ensure that there is respect for the rule of law,” he said.
The appellate court had convicted Nwaoboshi following an appeal by the EFCC against the judgment of Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of a Federal High Court in Lagos, which had on June 18, 2021, discharged and acquitted him and his companies.
He and his companies were convicted for illegally acquiring a property named Guinea House, Marine Road, in Apapa, Lagos, for N805 million.
Part of the money paid for the property was transferred by Suiming Electrical Ltd on behalf of Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd. The funds were believed to be proceeds of illicit activities of the convict.
“That you, Peter Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Projects Limited, between May and June 2014, within the jurisdiction of this court, did acquire a property described as Guinea House, Marina Road, Apapa, Lagos, for the sum of N805 million, when you reasonably ought to have known that the sum of N322 million out of the purchase price transferred to the vendors by order of Suinming Electricals Limited formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of fraud and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act of 2011(as amended) and punishable under Section (15)(3) of the same Act”, part of the original charges read.
