In a significant development on Monday, Justice F. Giwa Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that Nicholas Mutu, a member of the House of Representatives, must face allegations of money laundering totaling N320 million. The charges were brought forth by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Mutu, alongside Airworld Technologies Ltd and Oyien Homes, found themselves before the court in connection with an amended 13-count charge, encompassing accusations of money laundering and gratification between August 2014 and August 2016. Notably, Mutu was arraigned during his tenure as the Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
During the proceedings, the prosecution, having presented four witnesses, concluded its case at the last adjourned date, prompting the defense to make a no-case submission. However, Justice Ogunbanjo, in his ruling on Monday, found that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Mutu and directed the defendant to enter his defense.
The EFCC counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, contested the defense’s no-case submission, asserting that payments made by Starline Consultancy, an NDDC contractor to the defendants, were deemed as gratification. Iheanacho argued that Mutu, leveraging his position as the chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, wielded influence to facilitate the payments through Airworld Technologies Ltd.
Following the ruling, which established that Mutu indeed has a case to answer, Justice Ogunbanjo adjourned the proceedings to February 21 and 22, 2024. The ongoing legal proceedings underscore the gravity of the allegations against the House of Representatives member and the associated entities.
