The hopes of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former gubernatorial aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in Kwara State, Muhammed Dele Belgore, to avoid standing trial for his role in an alleged N450 million money laundering charge was on Thursday dashed on a legal rock as the Federal High Court in Lagos dismissed the no-case suit he filed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Ruling on two separate no-case submissions filed by Belgore and his fellow defendant, former minister of planning Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, the presiding judge Justice Mohammed Aikawa after careful deliberation ordered the two defendants to begin their defence. They had been hoping to obtain a ruling exonerating them of the need to stand trial for their alleged offences.

In his proclamation on the matter, Justice Aikawa said: “I have read the facts of the case and have formed an opinion that the two defendants have a case to answer.  In the circumstances, I therefore overrule the no-case submissions. It is hereby dismissed. The defendants should proceed to open their defence”.

With this verdict, the stage has been set for the commencement of the substantive money laundering case brought against Belgore and Suleiman by the EFCC. The anti-graft agency had on November 27, 2017 re-arraigned the two of them on an amended 9-count charge of money laundering.

According to the charge sheet, the defendants, among other offences, allegedly conspired with former petroleum minister Diezani Alisson-Madueke to directly and unlawfully take possession of N450 million in cash, without going through any financial institution, contrary to extant provisions of the law. They also allegedly paid !0 million in cash inducements to Dr Emmanuel Onucheyo, then-INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Kwara State, and another N10 million to Garba Salihu, who was the Commissioner of Police in Kwara State at the time.

The said offences are in violation of sections 1(a) and 16(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Amendment Act 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same act. Belgore and Sulaiman have however pleaded not guilty to all the charges