KEY POINTS
- A Federal High Court in Abuja acquitted Isabella Mimie Oshodin and her company of N22.9bn money laundering charges.
- The court ruled that prosecutors failed to prove the funds were illicit or that Oshodin knew of any illegality.
- The case weakened due to inadmissible statements, lack of credible evidence, and absence of Sambo Dasuki’s testimony.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has acquitted Isabella Mimie Oshodin and her firm, Bob Oshodin Organisation Ltd, of alleged money laundering involving N22.9 billion linked to the office of former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
Delivering judgment, the court held that the Federal Government failed to establish its case beyond reasonable doubt, ruling that the prosecution did not provide credible evidence to support the allegations against the defendants.
Oshodin had been accused of laundering N22.9 billion allegedly connected to funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser during Dasuki’s tenure.
However, the court ruled that the prosecution could not demonstrate that the money in question was derived from unlawful activities.
The judge further stated that there was no convincing proof that Oshodin had knowledge that the funds were proceeds of crime, a critical requirement in proving money laundering charges.
Key Statements Declared Inadmissible
The court also rejected key statements attributed to Oshodin, describing them as inadmissible. Without those statements, the prosecution’s case was significantly weakened.
Additionally, the prosecution failed to provide credible documentation or witness testimony to support claims that the funds were transferred abroad or used to acquire properties listed in the charge.
The judge noted that the failure to call Dasuki as a witness further undermined the prosecution’s case. The court held that the absence of testimony from a central figure in the allegations left major gaps in the evidence presented.
Consequently, the court ruled that the case relied largely on speculation and assumptions rather than verifiable facts.
