The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will today, Thursday, May 24, arraign Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, former PDP governorship candidate in Edo State; Lucky Imasuen, former deputy governor of Edo State; Chief Dan Orbih, Edo State PDP chairman; Tony Azigbemi and Efe Erimuoghae Anthony before a Federal High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State.
The quintet were said to have conspired among themselves to commit an offence contrary to the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
Though the arraignment was earlier scheduled for May 16, the case was adjourned to May 24, 2018 for arraignment due to the absence of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Chief Dan Orbih in court.
At the last court sitting, counsel to Orbih, Chief Ferdinand O. Orbih, SAN, told the court that his client was outside the shores of Nigeria attending to his health needs.
The same argument was canvassed by Ikhide Ehighelua, counsel to Pastor Ize-Iyamu who told the court that his client was outside the country attending to his health.
The EFCC is seeking to prosecute the five top PDP members in Edo State over the N700 million they purportedly received prior to the 2015 general election.
One of the count reads: “That you Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Lucky Imasuen, Tony Azigbemi, Chief Dan Orbih, Efe Erimuoghae Anthony and Chief Anthony Anenih (now at large) sometime March 2015 in Benin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did directly take possession and control of the sum of 700,000,000.00 (seven hundred million naira) only without any contract award which sum you reasonably ought to have known form part of proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit; fraud and corruption; and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Amendment Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3)of the same Act”.