By Edwin Eriye
A Kano- based auto firm, Samari Motors which was arraigned yesterday, October 14, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before Justice O.A Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Kano pleaded guilty to the one count charge of money laundering preferred against it.
Blackbox Nigeria gathered that Samari Motors is a business entity that deals in the sale of used vehicles.
Trouble began for the company sequel to intelligence that its activities were in violation of the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, having failed to file report to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML) on the sale of cars as required by law.
The charge against the defendant reads: “That you Samari Motors Nigeria Limited, sometime in November 2017, in Kano within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, being a Designated Non-Financial Institution, failed to comply with the requirements of customer identification and the submission of returns on the sale of a car to Ibrahim Sani at the sum of N5,700,000, (Five Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira) only depicted on your invoice number 0665 as specified under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) within seven days from the date of the transaction, and you thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 5(6) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 5 (6)(a) of the same Act.’’
The defendant pleaded guilty through its director, who stood in the dock in the place of his company.
In view of the guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Jonson Ojogbane asked the court for a short adjournment to enable the parties review the facts of the case.
Defence counsel, Jazuli Mustafa did not object and consequently, the Justice Egwuatu adjourned the matter till November 5, 2019.
