The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday re-arraigned Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia and Chief Godwin Obla (SAN), for alleged unlawful enrichment and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
The re-arraignment before the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja followed an amendment to the charges.
The defendants were first arraigned in November 2016 on 30 charges.
The new charge sheet contained 31 counts.
In it, Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia was, among other things, accused of receiving a total of $793,800 in several tranches from different sources between 2012 and 2015 “so as to have a significant increase in your assets that you cannot reasonably explain the increase in relation to your lawful income.”
Obla, on his part, was accused of offering N5m as gratification to the judge so as to allegedly pervert the course of justice.
The offences were said to be contrary to sections 64(1), 82(a) and 69(1) (a) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State No. 11, 2011.
But the defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges as they had pleaded earlier.
Meanwhile, the 12th prosecution witness, Abdullahi Lawal, an investigator, continued his testimony before the court on Friday.
Led in evidence by the prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, Lawal pointed out three deposits – N4m, N3m and 5m – made into the account of Nigel and Colive Nigeria Limited, a company allegedly belonging to Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia.
The deposits, he said, were made on July 11, 2014, by a Customs officer, Omali Musa.
Source: CNN
