$5.9m fraud: Bamaiyi in trouble as Ajudua demands his trial for money laundering

Ajudua

Reliable information reaching SHOWBIZPLUS has it that fraud suspect, Mr. Fred Ajudua, has urged a Lagos High Court, Ikeja to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to prefer money laundering charges against a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi (retd.).

Ajudua stated this in his fresh application before the court through which he is challenging the competence of the 14 counts of fraud preferred against him for allegedly defrauding Bamaiyi of about $5.9m (about N1bn).

According to Ajudua, Bamaiyi’s petition and statements to the EFCC, disclosed self-confession to various crimes, including conspiracy, aiding and abetting, money laundering and corrupting of public officers.

The scheduled arraignment of Ajudua for allegedly swindling Bamaiyi of the money between November 2004 and June 2005, was stalled on Wednesday because of the fresh application.

Part of Ajudua’s five prayers in the application is that the court compels EFCC to prosecute Bamaiyi and others, and also quash the “frivolous charges” preferred against him (Ajudua).

He is therefore seeking, “An order directing and compelling the prosecution/respondent to prefer a criminal charge and/or arraign the underlisted persons for the offences of conspiracy, aiding and abetting, money laundering and corrupting of public officers viz: Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi (retd.), Lawal Danladi Yaro, Abdullahi Garba, Martha Bamaiyi, Garba Tagda, Mohammed Abubakar, Lt. Col. Timothy Chechet, Sam Kwendo Bandi.”

According to the charges preferred against Ajudua, EFCC alleged that the accused defrauded Bamaiyi while they were both on remand at Kirikiri Prison for separate alleged crimes.

Ajudua was said to have defrauded Bamaiyi through false claims that the money represented the professional fees charged by Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) to handle Bamaiyi’s case in court and to facilitate his release from prison.

The suspect’s counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, argued in the written address filed in support of the application, “Clearly, as can be seen above, the General was from his admission and confession in those statements engaged in diverse acts of criminality and whether it is the act of attempting to give gratification to these public officers through his agents or payments exceeding N500,000 in cash.

“The law prescribes punishment ranging from minimum of five years imprisonment as can be seen Sections 8 and 9 of the anti-corruption law and taking the counts outlined in the information for payments made in excess of N500,000 over 100 years imprisonment as can be gleaned from section 15(1) of the existing Money Laundering Act at that time.”

Ojo opposed application by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Seidu Atteh, requesting the court to order the accused to take his plea on Wednesday.