Bureau de Change operator details how ECOWAS official laundered N500m

A bureau de change operator, Adedeji Adelabu on Thursday told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja how an official of the Economic Community of West African State’s (ECOWAS) Mohammed Dangana, laundered N500 million.

Adelabu told the court presided over by Justice Okon Abang that Dangana instructed him to exchange and transfer millions of naira and foreign currencies to his personal accounts.

Dangana is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for criminal diversion of funds, misappropriation and money laundering to the tune of over N500m.

A statement by the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren stated that Adelabu who was being led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mr Wahab Shittu, said that one Mr Abubakar and Alhaji Oruma introduced Dangana to him and that he carried out two business transactions for the defendant between May and June 2016.

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Adelabu, the third prosecution witness said: “The first transaction was the exchange of $1.5m to naira at the rate of N345.5 to one dollar. Mr Dangana instructed me to pay the sum of N344.9m to ECOWAS account and another N72.30m was paid to the account of Saldano Chambers domiciled in Guaranty Trust Bank. He also instructed me to pay another N1.5m to Saldano Chambers.”

The statement further disclosed that the defence counsel, J. Uchechukwu, cross-examined the witness after which the prosecution counsel sought the admission of the tendered documents, which was objected to by the defence team.

Justice Abang thereafter adjourned the matter till December 16, 2019, for continuation of the cross-examination.

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