The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced its decision to appeal the judgment of the Federal High Court Abuja, which acquitted former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye, of the N2bn money laundering charge brought against him and others by the Commission.
Recalled that on June 5, 2023, Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed the money laundering charge brought against Oronsaye, stating that the Commission had failed to establish the charges against the defendants.
In a statement in its verified Twitter handle, the EFCC stated that the trial judge overlooked crucial evidence presented by the prosecution, including the testimonies of 21 witnesses and the confessional statement of one of the defendants, Osarenkhoe Afe. Consequently, the Commission has decided to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.
Oronsaye’s corruption trial commenced in 2015, with him being charged alongside the Managing Director of Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited, Mr. Osarenkhoe Afe, and three companies: Cluster Logistic Limited, Kangolo Dynamic Cleaning Limited, and Drew Investment & Construction Company Limited.
The first and second defendants allegedly used these companies as conduits to embezzle N2 billion in public funds through contract fraud between 2010 and 2011. The defendants were prosecuted on an amended 27-count charge.
