$2bn arms deal: FG slams 6-count money laundering charge against Dokpesi

The Federal Government, Tuesday,
slammed six-count money laundering charge against
former chairman of DAAR Communications Plc, High
Chief Raymond Dokpesi over his alleged complicity in
the $2billion arms deal fraud.
.
Dokpesi who was recently arrested and later granted
administrative bail by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC, was alleged to have
received over N10billion from the office of the
erstwhile National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo
Dasuki, retd.
.
He was charged alongside his company, Daar Holding
and Investment Limited, in the suit marked: FHC/
ABJ/CR/380/2015.
FG specifically alleged that he acted in breach of
extant provisions of the Money Laundering Act, the
EFCC Act and the Public Procurement Act, for
receiving huge sums of money from the office of the
NSA, for unsubstantiated purpose.
.
Meanwhile, though the charge is yet to be assigned to
any Judge for trial, however, Dokpesi had since
approached Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the high
court, praying for protection of his fundamental
rights which he said was being threatened by the
anti-graft agency.
.
In an ex-parte application he filed through his lawyer,
Mr. Mike Ozehkome, SAN, Dokpesi, urged the court
to grant him bail on liberal terms, pending his formal
arraignment before a court of competent
jurisdiction.
Instead of granting the motion, Justice Kolawole, in a
chamber ruling last week Friday, ordered Dokpesi’s
lawyer to go and put the federal government on
notice, even as he adjourned the matter till
December 14.
.
The court also directed EFCC to produce Dokpesi
before it on that day.
However, few hours after the order was made, EFCC
granted administrative bail to Dokpesi.
.
In his application dated December 3, Dokpesi told
the court that he was detained for more than 48
hours without the EFCC entering any charge against
him.
Ozehkome told the court that his client was on
December 1, summoned via the telephone to report
to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.
.
He said that Dokpesi has since then remained in
custody on the anti-graft agency, adding that he was
grilled for so many hours despite the fact that he did
not have fore knowledge of why he was wanted by
the EFCC.
Besides, Ozehkome, SAN, contended that the
offences leveled against Dokpesi by the agency were
such that can ordinarily attract bail, adding that his
client has no reason or any likelihood to jump bail,
escape justice or interfere with witnesses.
.
He told the court that Dokpesi has no criminal
antecedent or record, even as he urged the court to
consider the status of his client in the society and
release him on self recognizance or in the most
liberal terms.
It will be recalled that Chief Dokpesi was on
December 1, arrested and detained in connection
with money disbursed from the office of the former
NSA under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
.
The EFCC had maintained that Dokpesi has questions
to answer with regards to huge sums of money it said
was paid to him while Dasuki held sway as the NSA.
.
Nevertheless, Dokpesi was reported to have claimed
that the payments were for media coverages his
media outfits rendered to former President Jonathan
prior to the 2015 general elections.
.
Source : Vanguard