The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, has sentenced two Lebanese men to two years in prison with an option of fine for money laundering.
Chamseddine Waell Mohammed and Dina Jihad Khali, who both pleaded guilty to a separate one-count charge of money laundering preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were convicted on Thursday, August 20.
The charges were brought against them by the Port Harcourt Zonal office of EFCC.
According to a statement released by the antigraft agency, the offenses run contrary to Section 2 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 2 (5) of the same Act.
The two Lebanese men were sentenced to two years imprisonment by Justice I. M. Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The first charge read:
“That you Chamseddine Waell Mohammed on the 1st July 2020 at Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Port Harcourt within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did fail to make a declaration of the sum of $220,000.00 (Two Hundred and Twenty Thousand US Dollars) hid in your Luggage onboard a chartered flight with registration number 9HVFF to Lebanon and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 2 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 2 (5) of the same Act”.
The second charge read:
“That you Dina Jihad Khali on the 1st July 2020 at Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Port Harcourt within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did fail to make a declaration to the Nigeria Customs Service as required by law cash transportation of the sum of $670,000.00 (Six Hundred and Seventy Thousand US Dollars) hid in your Luggage on board a chartered flight with registration number 9HVFF to Lebanon and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 2 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 2 (5) of the same Act”.
The defendants both pledged guilty to the charges
Prosecuting counsel, Aso Larrys Peters, while reviewing facts tendered some documents which statements from the defendants, as exhibits.
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The prosecuting counsel also led in Principal Detective Superintendent Macaulay Olayinka in evidence, he told the court that, the two convicts were arrested for attempting to smuggle a total sum of $890,000 USD( Eight Hundred and Ninety Thousand United States US Dollars) out of Nigeria, through the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.
“The said amount was found inside their Luggage onboard a chartered flight with registration number 9HVFF to Lebanon.
“They were apprehended by the Nigeria Customs Service, Area One Command, Port Harcourt, and handed over to the Port Harcourt Zonal office of the EFCC on August 12, 2020, for further investigation.
“The Convicts, Khali with Passport Number LR152975 (Republic of Lebanon) was arrested with $670,000USD (Six Hundred and Seventy Thousand Dollars ) while Mohammed with Passport Number LR0356598 (Republic of Lebanon) had in his possession the sum of $220,000USD (Two Hundred and Twenty Thousand Dollars)”, he said.
Olayinka added that the money recovered from the suspects had been deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria, Rivers State Branch, for safekeeping by the arresting agency.
In what appears a glaring fact, the prosecution prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants as charged. The counsel to the defendants, Paul Ejiga urged the court to temper justice with mercy as the defendants were first time offenders who have no previous criminal record.
After reviewing the case, judge Justice Sani convicted them and sentenced the defendants to two years imprisonment with an option of bail of one million naira each.
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