The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arraigned a Briton, James Nolan, and six firms for alleged money laundering.
Nolan, said to be a director of an Irish engineering firm, Process and Industrial Development (P&ID), was named in six separate charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The prosecution said he is a director in the firms.
Nolan, Adam Quinn and Neil Murray (two other absent directors) are accused of failing to put in place anti-money laundering measures in the firms.
The companies are Lurgi Consult Ltd (named in the charge numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/143/20), Kristholm Nigeria Ltd (FHC/ABJ/CR/144/20), Marshpeal Nigeria Ltd (/ABJ/CR/145/20); Babcock Electrical Projects Ltd (FHC/ABI/CR/146/20); LIR Resources Nigeria Ltd (FHC/ABI/CR/147/20), and Ecophoenix Nigeria Ltd (FHC/AB)/CR/148/20).
Nolan pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Prosecuting lawyer, Bala Sanga, applied that the defendant be remanded in prison pending trial.
Nolan’s counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN), in an oral application, prayed the court to grant his client bail.
Erokoro relied on the fact that Nolan had been admitted to bail by the court in another case numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/239/2019 before Justice Okon Abang.
He urged the court to adopt the bail terms, which the Court of Appeal varied on July 7.
Sanga said he had no problem with the court adopting the terms of the earlier bail.
He said the prosecution was only interested in having the defendant attend court to stand trial.
Sanga spoke of a plan to apply for the arrest of Quinn and Murray to ensure their prosecution.
The judge adopted the same ball terms for the other five charges.
He adjourned until October 5 for trial.
In the case before Justice Abang, Nolan is also being tried on charges of money laundering.
He is charged with two firms – Goidel Resources Limited and ICIL Limited -in which he is said to be a director, along with Quinn.
A count in one of the charges on which Nolan was arraigned yesterday reads: “That you, Ecophoenix Ltd, being a designated non-financial institution; Adam Quinn (at large), a director of Ecophoenix Ltd and James Nolan, a director of Ecophoenix Ltd; sometime in September 2013, in Abuja, failed to copy with the requirements of submitting to the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, a declaration of the activities of Ecophoemix Ltd as specified under Section 5(1)(a)(ii) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and you, therefore, committed an offence punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.” (The Nation)
