High Court Discharges Money Laundering Suit Against Atiku’s Son-in-law

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has  discharged a two-count charge of laundering of about $140,000 against  Abdullahi Babalele, a son-in-law to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on Monday,  threw out the charge file by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the ground of wrong venue.

He held that the charge against the defendant
was suppose to be have been filed in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital where the alleged crime
was said to have been committed and not Lagos.

Justice Aneke relied on the Supreme Court’s decision in a case between the EFCC and Mohammed Dele Belgore on territorial jurisdiction.

Babalele was arraigned in 2018 and then re-arraigned on October 8, 2019.

The EFFC accused Babalele of giving former President Olusegun Obasanjo $140,000 on the instruction of Abubakar, who was vying for the office of president in 2019.

However he pleaded not guilty on each occasion.

When the trial commenced, the prosecution called two witnesses and tendered several documents that were admitted in evidence, before closing its case against the defendant on November 25, 2020.

At the last hearing on December 7, Babalele’s counsel Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN, filed a no-case submission praying the court to dismiss the charge.