The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Tuesday arraigned a former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, before the Federal High Court in Kaduna over alleged severance pay fraud and suspicious foreign currency deposits.
El-Rufai was docked alongside his co-defendant, Joel Adoga, on 10 counts bordering on alleged violations of Nigeria’s anti-money laundering laws.
According to the ICPC, the charges involve alleged inflated severance payments amounting to N579.7 million as well as fraudulent dollar-denominated deposits totalling $817,900 allegedly received by the former governor.
The commission accused the defendants of engaging in financial transactions that contravened existing anti-corruption and money laundering regulations.
When the charges were read in court, both El-Rufai and Adoga pleaded not guilty. The arraignment took place under tight security at the Federal High Court in Kaduna.
Following the defendants’ plea, the trial judge, Justice Ridwan Aikawa, ordered that both men be remanded in the custody of the ICPC pending further proceedings.
El-Rufai had already been in the commission’s custody for over a month prior to the arraignment.
Below are the ten charges filed against El-Rufai
COUNT 1
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) sometime in September 2020 or thereabout at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a public officer as the elected Executive Governor of Kaduna State, directly took possession of the sum of N289,826,998.12 (Two Hundred and Eighty-Nine Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty-Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety-Eight Naira, Twelve Kobo) as severance allowance over and above your legitimately entitled sum of N20,013,245.00 (Twenty Million, Thirteen Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty-Five Naira) which represents 300% of your annual basic salary which you reasonably ought to have known that such fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: corruption and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2}(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition} Act, 2022.
COUNT 2
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M), sometime in January 2023 or thereabout at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a public officer as the elected Executive Governor of Kaduna State, directly took possession of the sum of N289,826,998.12 (Two Hundred and Eighty-Nine Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty-Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety-Eight Naira, Twelve Kobo) as severance allowance over and above your legitimately entitled sum of N20,013,245.00 (Twenty Million, Thirteen Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty-Five Naira) which represents 300% of your annual basic salary which you reasonably ought to have known that such fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: corruption and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2}(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.
COUNT 3
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) sometime between September 2017 and March 2023 or thereabout at Kaduna and Abuja respectively, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a public officer as the elected Executive Governor of Kaduna State, directly took control of the total sum of $320,800 (Three Hundred and Twenty Thousand, Eight Hundred Dollars) deposited into your Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account number: 0023824985 in different tranches by one Joel Adoga, when you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: corruption and fraud and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2}(d) and punishable under Section 18{3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
COUNT 4
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) sometime in May 2022 or thereabout at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a public officer as the elected Executive Governor of Kaduna State, directly took possession of the sum of $155,800 (One Hundred and Fifty-Five Thousand, Eight Hundred Dollars) deposited into your Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account number: 0023824985 by one Peter Akagu Jones (now at large), when you reasonably ought to have known that such fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: corruption and fraud and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2}(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
COUNT 5
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) sometime in May 2022 or thereabout at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a public officer as the elected Executive Governor of Kaduna State, directly took possession of the sum of $305,300 (Three Hundred and Five Thousand, Three Hundred Dollars) deposited into your Guaranty Trust Bank (domiciliary) account number: 0023824985 by one Ajayi Ayodele (now at large), when you reasonably ought to have known that such fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: corruption and fraud and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(d) and punishable under Section 18(3)of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
COUNT 6
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) sometime in April, 2016 or thereabout at Asokoro, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a public officer as the elected Executive Governor of Kaduna State, directly took possession of the sum of $5,000.00 (Seven Thousand Dollars), deposited into your Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account number: 0023824985 by one Umar Farouq (now at large) when you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: corruption and fraud and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2}{d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
COUNT 7
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) sometime in June 2016 or thereabout at Asokoro, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a public officer as the elected Executive Governor of Kaduna State, directly took possession of the sum of $5,000.00 (Five Thousand Dollars), deposited into your Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account number: 0023824985 by one Umar Saleh (now at large) when you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: corruption and fraud and you thereby committed and offence contrary to Section 18(2)(a) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
COUNT 8
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) sometime in December 2016 or thereabout at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a public officer as the elected Executive Governor of Kaduna State. directly took possession of the sum of $4,000.00 (Four Thousand Dollars), deposited into your Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account number: 0023824985 by one Umar Farouk Saleh (now at large) when you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: corruption and fraud and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
COUNT 9
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) sometime in October 2017 or thereabout at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a public officer as the elected Executive Governor of Kaduna State, directly took possession of the sum of $10,000.00 (Ten Thousand Dollars), deposited into your Guaranty Trust Bank (domiciliary) account number: 0023824985 by one Umar Farouq (now at large) when you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: corruption and fraud and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act. 2022.
COUNT 10
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M), JOEL ADOGA (M) sometime in July 2019 or thereabout at Wuse, Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did conspire to disguise the origin of $10,000.00 (Ten Thousand Dollars) which sum was deposited into the Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account number: 0023824985 belonging to Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, when you reasonably ought to have known that such fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: corruption and fraud and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 21 and 18(2){a}) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
