Olasupo Shasore, SAN, the former A-G of Lagos State, has once again been brought before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday on a 14-count money laundering charge, barely 24 hours after he was arraigned before Justice Mojisola Dada at the Federal High Court, Lagos division, on a four-count charge of money laundering.
Shasore was arraigned on a fresh charge before Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court, Abuja.
Shasore and his firm, Middlesex Investments Ltd., were scheduled to be arraigned before Justice Ekwo today, according to a report from Lagos Metropolitan (LM) on Thursday.
The EFCC’s attorney filed charge number: FHC/ABJ/CR/386/22 on August 17 with the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the complainant and Bala Sanga, Middlesex Investments Ltd, and Shasore as the first and second defendants, respectively.
Shasore is believed to be a director and signatory to the business’ 0005659394 Guaranty Trust Bank account.
However, the former commissioner entered a plea of not guilty to the crimes that were allegedly committed in concert with the business.
The judge ordered Shasore to continue to enjoy the terms of the administrative bail previously granted to him by the EFCC, after the EFCC’s attorney, Sanga, did not object to his bail plea.
As a result, Justice Ekwo continued the case for trial to March 13, March 14, March 15, and March 16.
He instructed Chief Olawale Akoni, SAN, counsel for the accused and the anti-graft agency, to organise their affairs in advance of the trial dates.
According to count one of the EFCC’s complaint, between September 3 and September 11, 2014, the business and Mr. Shasore allegedly failed to report in writing to the organisation a single lodgement transaction involving the transfer of N60 million from Mandivera Global Resources Limited to Middlesex Investments Limited’s Guaranty Trust Bank account number 0005659394.
The EFCC claimed in count five that between August 26 and September 3, 2019, the defendants failed to submit in writing to the agency a single transfer transaction of $30,000 from Middlesex Investments Ltd’s GTB account number 0005659435 to Olasupo Shasore’s account.
This should be in line with Section 10(1)b of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 (as amended) and punished under Section 10(3) of the same act, according to the agency.
The suspects are also charged with failing to submit a declaration of the company’s activities to the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investments as required by Section 5(1)(a)(ii) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, as amended, which is punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same act, among other things.
Shasore had been charged by the EFCC on October 20 in front of the Ikeja Special Offenses Court.
He was charged with two counts of possible money laundering.
As a result, Justice Dada granted him bail and postponed the trial until December.
