Former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Maurice Iwu, will be tried in Lagos, not Abuja, a Federal High Court in Lagos has ruled.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo in a ruling on Friday dismissed Iwu’s application seeking the transfer of his N1.23 billion fraud trial from Lagos to Abuja.
The judge dismissed the application for lack of merit.
Justice Oweibo said a look at the list of witnesses submitted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) showed that most of the witnesses were in Lagos, with some retired, hence “justice will be better served for the trial to proceed in Lagos”.
Iwu is being tried on four counts of money laundering and fraud.
At the previous proceedings, Iwu’s lawyer, Ahmed Raji, had told Justice Oweibo that at the age of 70 years, his client was too old to be coming from Abuja to the Federal High Court in Lagos to stand trial.
Raji also said the transactions leading to the charges against Iwu took place in Abuja.
The former INEC boss was first arraigned on August 8 before Justice Chuka Obiozor, also of the Federal High Court in Lagos, who granted him bail of N1 billion.
Iwu, however, maintained his earlier stance by pleading not guilty.
Justice Oweibo permitted him to continue on the N1 billion bail earlier granted him by Justice Obiozor.
EFCC alleges that Iwu committed the offences from December 2014 to March 27, 2015.
“The defendant aided the concealment of N1.23 billion in the account of Bioresources Institute of Nigeria Ltd. with number 1018603119, domiciled in the United Bank for Africa.
“He ought to have reasonably known that the N1.23 billion formed part of the proceeds of fraud,” the prosecution said.
The alleged offences contravene Sections 15(2) and 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, and is punishable under Section 15(3) of the Act.
