Public Holidays Stalls Sentence On Bobrisky
Mary Akanbi
10th April, 2024
The Sallah holidays on Tuesday, stalled judgement by a Federal High Court Lagos, in a charge against convicted cross dresser, Idris Okuneye alias Bobrisky, over mutilation of the naira.
Bobrisky is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
The court had convicted him on April 5, following his guilty plea to a criminal charge brought against him by the commission.
The court, however, reserved sentence until April 9 (today) but ordered that Bobrisky be remanded in custody of the EFCC pending sentence.
Meanwhile, following a declaration of Tuesday and Wednesday as public holidays by the federal government, the case could no longer proceed as earlier scheduled .
The court will now communicate a new date to parties.
The EFCC had on April 4,, filed a six-counts charge against the “feminine character” bordering on Naira mutilation and money laundering.
The convict was consequently, arraigned on April 5 before Justice Abimbola Awogboro.
He had pleaded guilty to the first four counts only, as the court had earlier struck out the last two counts following an application by the EFCC.
Prosecution witness, Mr Bolaji Temitope, an assistant suprintendant of the EFCC, had then given evidence and narrated the circumstances surrounding the prosecution of Bobrisky.
After the review of the facts of the case, the prosecutor, Mr Suleiman Suleiman had then urged the court to proceed and convict the cross dresser.
The court, had then. consequently reserved judgement for April 9 (today)
Judgment will now be delivered on a new date to be issued by the court.
According to the charge, the convict was said to have committed the offence on March 24, at Circle Mall, Jakande in the Lekki area of Lagos.
The agency said that he tampered with the cumulative sum of N400,000 while dancing during a social event, by spraying same.
He was said to have sprayed various tranches of money between 2022 and 2023 such as N20,000 and N50,000 at various events.
Meanwhile, in the struck out counts, the EFCC had said that the defendant trading under the name and style of BobExpress between Sept. 1, 2021 and April 4, also failed to submit a declaration of the activities of his company.
According to the EFCC, within the said period, the sum of N128 million was paid into the company’s account.
It had said that within same period the defendant failed to submit a declaration to the unit, of his company, where the sum of N53 million was paid.
The offences contravene the provisions of sections 21(1) Central Bank Act 2007, and 19 Money Laundering Act 2022.