By Ishaya Ibrahim
Mr Uyi Giwa-Osagie, a legal adviser of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, and Mr Abdulahi Babalele, his son-in-law and Finance Director of the Atiku Group of Companies have been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
While Giwa-Osagie was arrested on Thursday over alleged money laundering after he honoured an invitation of the anti-graft agency in Lagos State, Babalele was picked up on Friday over yet unknown charges.
On Friday, EFCC filed money laundering charges to the tune of $2 million against Giwa-Osagie, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
According to the charge sheet, Osagie laundered the $2 million ahead of the last general election without going through any financial institution.
The EFCC said the amount which exceeded what was authorised by law to be transacted in cash was meant for the 2019 general election.
EFCC first arrested Giwa-Osagie and Babalele in February at the height of the campaigns.
The agency’s three-count charge was signed by prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, and was filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos against the lawyer and his brother, Erhunse Giwa-Osagie.
The anti-corruption body further explained that the two brothers allegedly contravened sections 18(a) and 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011, punishable under Section 16(2)(b).
The charges added, “That you Uyiekpen Giwa-Osagie and Erhunse Giwa-Osagie, sometimes in February 2019 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired to commit an offence to wit: making cash payment of the sum of $2,000,000.00 (two million United State Dollars) without going through financial institution, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a), and 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.
“That you Uyiekpen Giwa-Osagie, on or before the 12th day of February 2019 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, procured Erhunse Giwa-Osagie to make cash payment of the sum of $2,000,000.00 without going through financial institution, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.
“That you Erhunse Giwa-Osagie, sometimes in February 2019 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, made the payment of the sum of $2,000,000.00 without going through a financial institution, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 1(a). & 16(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (As Amended) and Punishable under section 16 of the Same Act.”
While the charges to be brought against Babalele are yet unknown, TheNiche reliably gathered on Thursday before both men were arrested by the EFCC that their arrests may not be unconnected with politics and the ongoing case instituted by Atiku at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.
The PDP presidential candidate is challenging the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the presidential election in court.
The presidential election tribunal adjourned penultimate week following the abrupt closure by the counsel for President Buhari, the APC and INEC of their defense after what some observers described damaging testimonies by
defense witnesses.
A PDP source who spoke to TheNiche on condition of anonymity on Friday night because he is not authorised to talk to the press said the order to detain both men “came from above.”
“The idea is to detain them indefinitely. They are being used as pawns in APC’s political chessboard. Mr Babalele in particular is to be detained indefinitely. Several leading figures within the APC and within the presidency have demanded that Atiku Abubakar immediately withdraws his case from the tribunal as condition precedent for charges against him to be dropped,” our source said.
Meanwhile, the Atiku family on Friday described the development as “hostage taking at the highest level.”
Many supporters of the PDP presidential candidate see the arrests as “a political witch hunt, aggressive intimidation and harassment of opposition actors.”
“The harassment of Giwa-Osagie and Babalele, both directors in the Atiku business empire, which started during the presidential election campaign, has now been stepped up, not only to cripple his personal investments but also to put pressure on him to negotiate and withdraw his petition,” said another source.
TheNiche reliably gathered on Friday that such high profile arrests may continue unless Atiku agrees to withdraw the case.
“This has nothing to do with corruption. If it is, why are they not questioning their national leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in whose house two bullion vans were found on the eve of the presidential election.
“But we are not surprised that Nigeria has become a gestapo state under President Buhari. We are aware that more family members and close business and political associates of Atiku will be targeted by state actors in a desperate effort to prevail on him to withdraw his petition by any means necessary. But that will not happen,” a PDP source told TheNiche.
