EFCC Arraigns Dasuki’s Aide, Others For N36bn Fraud

EFCC The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday arraigned Col. Nicholas Ashinze, a former Special Assistant to the embattled ex-National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, for money laundering.

Ashinze was docked along with an Austrian, Wolfgang Reinl, and two others, Edidiong Idiong and Sagir Mohammed, in a Federal High Court, Abuja.A statement by EFCC’s spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said the accused were arraigned on a 13-count charge of corruption and money laundering to the tune of N36.8 billion.The defendants are standing trial alongside five companies accused of diverting huge sums from the office of the NSA under Dasuki.“The companies are Geonel Integrated Services Limited, Unity Continental Nigeria Limited, Helpline Organization, Vibrant Resource Limited and Sologic Integrated Services Limited.“In one of the charges, the EFCC alleges that Ashinze and Reinl, who is the Managing Director of Geonel Integrated Services Limited, transferred N550 million to Edidiong Idiong, a lawyer.“The transfer was made on April 22, 2014 in violation of Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011.”The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against them, the statement said.Counsel to EFCC, I. O. Uket, expressed the commission’s readiness to immediately begin prosecution of the accused, saying that he had the witnesses present in court.“If the court is ready, we are also ready to produce our first witness as we have our witnesses in court,’’ he reportedly told the court.But Ashinze’s counsel, Ernest Nwoye, told the court that he had a pending application for the bail of his client.