Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, as remanded Mrs. Isabella Oshodin in custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, following an arraignment on a 25-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N22,964,228,414
Oshodin, an alleged accomplice of Sambo Dasuki, was arraigned in connection with her company, Bob Oshodin Organisation Ltd, on Monday.
The first defendant was said to have, on 16 occasions, received the sums of N500,000,000, N750,000,000, N125,000,000, N350,000,000, N170,000,000, N85,000,000, N60,000,000, N50,000,000 and others which totalled N2,366,000,000 from the office of the National Security Adviser under Colonel Sambo Dasuki.
EFCC alleged that the defendant, on eight occasions, received from Dasuki the sum of $57,217,301.15 into the Escrow accounts of Bob Oshodin Organisation Ltd.
Count two of the charges reads: “That you, Mrs. Isabela Mimie Oshodin, Bob Oshodin Organisation Ltd and Mr. Robert (Bob) Oshodin (still at large) on or about 22nd June, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court directly transferred the sum of $7,712,598 (Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Twelve Thousand, Five Hundred and Ninety-eight Dollars) to one Portfolio Escrow Company with account number 3102004330 domiciled in California Republic Bank, United States of America which sum you reasonably ought to have known to be proceed of an unlawful act of Sambo Dasuki (rtd), the then National Security Adviser to wit: criminal breach of trust and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Provision) Act, 2011as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.”
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges when read to her, but the prosecution counsel, Aisha Tahar Habib, prayed the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial, though the second defendant was not present.
However, counsel for the defendant, Osahor Odemodia, informed the court of the bail application for his client and urged the court to grant her bail on liberal terms, pending the commencement of trial.
But Habib opposed the application for bail, informing the court of a counter-affidavit filed on July 10, 2019, then prayed for accelerated hearing.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo thereafter adjourned to August 21, 2019 and ordered the defendant to be remanded in EFCC custody pending the ruling on the bail application.