Willie Obiano, a former Governor of Anambra State, has challenged the jurisdiction of the Abuja Federal High Court regarding the alleged fraud charges leveled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC arraigned Obiano on January 24 on nine counts of alleged money laundering amounting to N4 billion.
According to the charges, Obiano purportedly diverted Anambra State’s security votes totaling N4,008,573,350 during his tenure as governor from 2014 to 2022.
The EFCC further alleged that Obiano indirectly transferred N1.2 billion from the state security vote account to an account belonging to Moment of Peace Ventures, a business entity unrelated to the state, through his Private Principal Secretary.
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Obiano pleaded not guilty to all charges during the hearing.
At the latest hearing on Monday, the EFCC’s counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, informed the court of his readiness to proceed with the trial and presented three witnesses.
However, Obiano’s counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), revealed that he had filed a motion challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case.
Ikpeazu requested the court to address his motion before commencing the trial. Although Tahir acknowledged receipt of the motion, he had yet to file a reply.
Justice Inyang Ekwo intervened, reminding Tahir that it was not his place to cite legal precedents and advised him to respond to the motion, leaving the court to make a decision.
The judge adjourned the matter to March 7, 2024, to hear the motion challenging the court’s jurisdiction.
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