A 25-year-old Abubakar Sheriff Tijani, who was caught at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos with $7 million has forfeited 25 per cent of the $2 million he did not declare at the airprot to the Federal Government.
Justice C. J. Anieke of a Federal High Court in Lagos gave the ruling when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Tijjani on Tuesday.
Upon his arraignment, the accused pleaded guilty to the charge of not disclosing the entire sum to the Nigerian Customs Service.
Consequently, the judge directed that the 25-year old should forfeit 25 per cent of the undeclared $2 million to the Federal Government.
The judge, in his ruling, said he took into consideration the fact that the accused was a first offender and a young person, adding that he observed that he did not benefit directly from the money.
According to him, the case was an eye opener for the accused, adding that by now, he should have learnt his lesson.
When Tijani was arrested on September 27, he declared that he had a total sum of $4.5 million on him, but when screened, he was actually carrying $7,049,444
He was said to have confessed that he was a courier for 20 individuals who hired him to convey the money to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
A clear case of
money laundering. What is the EFCC and the Nigerian police doing to track down
those individuals Tijani was conveying the money for? Another question is to
whom did he actually forfeit the money?
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