In a fortnight, the erstwhile Attorney-General (AG) and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State Supo Shasore, would be arraigned in court for money laundering charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed a four-count charge before a Federal High Court in Lagos against Supo Shasore, who was Lagos’s Attorney-general between 2007 to 2011 during the first term of former Lagos governor Babatunde Fashola.
NigeriaCrime.com learned that Bala Sanga, a lawyer with the EFCC, signed the four-count charge filed before a federal high court in Lagos on August 18.
The former AG was alleged to have committed money laundering to the tune of $100,000 without going through a financial institution.
The case has been assigned to Chukwujekwu Aneke, a judge, before whom Shasore would be arraigned on October 20.
Count one of the charge sheet read: “That you Olasupo Shasore, S.A.N. on or about the 18th day of November 2014 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court induced Olufolakemi Adelore to commit an offence, to wit accepting cash payment of the sum of US100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) without going through a financial institution which such exceeded the amount authorised by Law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 78(c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 16(6) of the same Act.”
Count two reads: “That you Olasupo Shasore, S.A.N on or about the 18th day of November 2014 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, in a transaction without going through a financial institution, made a cash payment of the sum of USD 100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) to Olufolakemi Adelore through Auwalu Habu and Wole Aboderin, which sum exceeded the amount permitted by Law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 1(a) and 16(1)(d) the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as Amended) and punishable under section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.”
Count three reads: “That you Olasupo Shasore, S.A.N., on or about the 18th November 2014, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court, induced one Ikechukwu Oguine, to commit an offence, to wit: accepting case payment of the sum of USD100,000.00 (One Hundred thousand United States Dollars) without going through a financial institution, which such amount exceeded the amount permitted by Law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(c) of the Money Laundering Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16 (2)(b) Of the same Act.”
“That you Olasupo Shasore, S.A.N on or about the 18th day of November 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without going through a financial institution and made cash payment of the sum of USD100,000.00 (One Hundred thousand United State Dollars) to one Ikechukwu Oguine which sum exceeded the amount permitted by Law and you thereby committed an offence contrary sections 1(a) and 16(1),(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act, as amended) and punishable under section 16 (2)(b) of the same Act,” count four reads.
It will be recalled that ten months ago, Shasore was interrogated by EFCC over his involvement in the Process & Industrial Development (P&ID) $9.6 billion judgement saga. The senior lawyer, who was appointed as Nigeria’s legal representative in the P&ID case in 2012, was alleged to compromise the country’s defence at a British arbitration tribunal, contributing to the humongous award issued against Nigeria by the panel. P&ID, a British Virgin Island firm, was issued the arbitral award which subsequently rose to $9.6 billion as compensation for Nigeria’s alleged breach of a Gas Supply Process Agreement (GSPA). The GSPA was signed by the representatives of the Nigerian government on January 11, 2010. P&ID, in 2012, commenced arbitration proceedings against Nigeria in the United Kingdom for allegedly breaching its part of the GSPA. Shasore invitation by the EFCC came months after he talked about the part he played in representing Nigeria on the P&ID matter.
Before he spoke on his involvement in the case, the federal government had told a UK court that the former attorney-general colluded with P&ID to avert justice in the controversial gas supply purchasing agreement (GSPA) contract.