EFCC says money laundering charges against Bobrisky were dropped lawfully

Bobrisky had recently alleged in a viral audio that he offered ₦15m bribe to some unnamed EFCC officials to drop the money laundering charges against him.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said its money laundering charges against Idris Okuneye, better known as Bobrisky were dropped legally.

The commission’s head of the prosecution team, Bilikisu Bala, who handled Okuneye’s trial disclosed this to a joint committee of the House of Representatives investigating allegations of corruption against officials of the EFCC and the Nigeria Correctional Service on Monday, September 30, 2024.

Okuneye, an ex-convict, had recently alleged in a viral audio that he offered ₦15m bribe to some unnamed EFCC officials to drop the money laundering charges against him.

But while appearing before the committee, Bala said the anti-corruption agency dropped the money laundering charges against the controversial cross-dresser because the EFCC could not sustain the charges.

Bala said, “ We initially raised six count charges bordering on naira abuse and money laundering against Okuneye based on his confessional statement that his firm, Bob Express, was not registered with SCUML and was not rendering returns to it.

“Counts 1–4 were on Naira Abuse while counts five and six were on money laundering. Okuneye’s confession that he didn’t register his firm, Bob Express with SCUML and did not render returns to it informed the money laundering charges initially included in the six-count. However, when we wrote to SCUML on the status of the firm, the Unit responded that it was not a Designated Non-Financial Institution, Business or Profession.

“We cannot lawfully sustain the charges in all sincerity. We, therefore dropped them and relied on the four counts on naira mutilation to which Okuneye had pleaded guilty.”

She said it is laughable for anyone to attribute the commission’s decision to drop the charges to monetary issues.

“Why did we write to SCUML if we didn’t want to include the charges? We wrote to be lawfully guided and when the Unit responded that the firm had not breached any law, on what basis should we have retained the money laundering charges?” she asked.

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