Jude Okoye, the older brother and former manager of Paul and Peter Okoye of the now-defunct band P-Square, has been charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for laundering ₦1.38 billion, $1 million, and £34,537.59.
Jude and his business, Northside Music Ltd., were charged with seven counts and hauled before Federal High Court Judge Alexander Owoeye in Lagos.
“That you, Jude Okoye Chigozie and Northside Music Ltd, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, sometime in 2022, in Lagos, did directly acquire a landed property known as No 5, Tony Eromosele Street Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, worth ₦850,000,000.00 (eight hundred and fifty million naira) only,” stated one of the counts. “As a result, you committed an offense against Section 18 (2) (d) and were punished under Section 18 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
Jude Okoye Chigozie and Northside Music Ltd., within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, committed an offense against Section 18(2)(a) and Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, by indirectly using a bureau de change to convert $1,019,762.87 (one million nineteen thousand, seven hundred and six-two dollars eighty-seven cents), which was domiciled in Access Bank Plc, which was run by Northside Music Lid, to the naira equivalent and remitted into various bank accounts.
He entered a “not guilty” plea to the accusations.
In light of his plea, Larry Peters Aso, the prosecution’s attorney, requested a hearing date and the defendant’s remand in the prison until trial.
Inibehe Effiong, the defendant’s attorney, told the court that a bail application was still pending. He requested a brief hearing date. Additionally, Effiong requested that the defendant be placed under remand in the custody of the EFCC until the application hearing.
The plea to remand the defendant in the custody of the EFCC was met with opposition from Aso. He maintained that there were already too many individuals in EFCC custody who were awaiting arraignment. Since the prisoner had entered his plea, he urged the court to remand him to the penitentiary facility.
The case was postponed by Justice Owoeye to April 14 for the trial and February 28 for the bail hearing.
Additionally, he mandated that the offender be placed under detention at the Ikoyi prison.
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