Former Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano has challenged the jurisdiction of the Abuja Federal High Court to hear the alleged fraud preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
It would be recalled that the EFCC had on January 24 arraigned the former governor on nine charges bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of four billion naira.
In the charges, the EFCC alleged that Obiano diverted Anambra State’s security votes to the tune of four billion naira while he was governor between 2014 and 2022 as well as indirectly transferring, through his Private Principal Secretary, one point two billion naira from the state security vote account to another account belonging to an entity with no business with the state; counts he pleaded not guilty to.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, counsel for the defendant, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) told the court that he had filed a motion challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter.
He urged the court to exercise its discretion to determine his motion first before the commencement of trial.
The trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, however urged the prosecution to allow the court to take its decision on the motion and subsequently adjourned the matter to March 7th, 2024, to hear the motion.
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