Skip to main content

Armsgate: Air Vice Marshall docked, remanded in Kuje prison

AVM Omenyi listening to the charges in the court

AVM Omenyi listening to the charges in the court


The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, arraigned Air Vice Marshall Tony Omenyi (rtd) alongside his company, Huzee Nigeria Limited, before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja on a 3-count charge bordering on abuse of office and money laundering to the tune of N136.325.000.00 (one hundred and thirty six million, three hundred and twenty five thousand naira).

Omenyi is being prosecuted for his alleged role in the diversion of funds meant for the purchase of arms by the military.

AVM Omenyi

AVM Omenyi

Count 2 of the charge reads: “That you, AIR VICE MARSHALL TONY OMENYI (whilst being a public officer) and HUZEE NIGERIA LIMITED between 16th and 23rd August, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court took possession of the sum of N61,525,000.00 (sixty one million, five hundred and twenty five thousand naira only) transferred to the FCMB account of Huzee Nigeria Limited by SkyExperts Nigeria Limited, a contractor of AETSL, when you reasonably ought to have known that the said funds formed part of the proceeds of unlawful activity ( to wit: corruption) of Air Vice Marshall Tony Omenyi and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act”.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.

Upon his plea, counsel to EFCC, M. S. Abubakar, expressed his readiness, subject to the convenience of the court, to commenced trial immediately.

“My Lord, in view of the plea of the defendant and in the light of the provisions of Section 273, 300 (2) of the ACJA, I humbly apply to proceed immediately for trial”, Abubakar said.

Omenyi’s counsel, Wahab Olatunji, urged the court to dismiss the claim of the prosecution, contending that they had not been furnished with the statements of both the accused and the witnesses as recommended by the ‘Practice Direction Act, 2013’.

AVM Omenyi with EFCC operative in the court

AVM Omenyi with EFCC operative in the court

Olatunji’s motion was however overruled by the judge, who held that all the documents required by the ‘Practice Direction’ had already been furnished in three volumes in the charge filed and dated October 11, 2016 by the prosecution.

Olatunji further urged the court to admit his client to bail adding that the law presumed the accused innocent until proven guilty.

Justice Dimgba adjourned the case to November 14, 2016 for the hearing of the bail application and ordered the accused to be remanded in Kuje prison.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Man docked for defiling 9-year-old girl

magistrate-court A 33-year-old man, Godwin Otobo, was on Monday docked at a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.For allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl, ‎Otobo, who lives at No. 10, Borrow Pit St., Sangotedo-Ajah area of Lagos, was said to have defiled the underage girl whose parents also reside in the same compound. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the accused committed the offence at about 9.00 p.m. sometimes in September. “The accused defiled the girl in the night when she was fetching water.‎ “The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011,’’ Osayande told the court. The accused pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of defilement. Ruling on a bail application filed by the accused, Chief Magistrate Ipaye Nwachukwu, granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. She said one of the sureties must be a property owner in Lagos State, while the other must be a civil servant on grade...
Post a Comment
Read more