Court Remands Chief Diamond Tobin West, Four Others In EFCC Custody For Alleged Money Laundering

A Federal High Court on Thursday remanded Chief Diamond Tobin West and four others in custody of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged money laundering.

The four others were Chief Morrison Ifeanyi Asimole, Christian Kelechukwu Okoli, Tonye Azike and Telema Osazuwa.

They were alleged to have directly and indirectly taken possession of money totalling about ten million  (N10million) which had formed part of proceeds of unlawful act while acting as officers of Port-Harcourt Club, 1928, and allegedly committed an offence contrary to Section 15(3) of the Money laundering Act, 2011 as amended.

The defendants took their plea before presiding judge of Port-Harcourt Federal High Court, Honourable Justice P. Ajoku, as eighteen-count charges were read to them. They pleaded not guilty.

The defendants were four men and one woman.

Counts one to eleven were read to Chief Diamond Tobin West, Chief Morrrison Ifeanyi Asimole and Telema Osazuwa while counts twelve to fifteen were read to Chief Diamond Tobin West, Christian Kelechukwu Okoli and Tonye Azike and they had pleaded not guilty.

Count sixteen was read to all five defendants while counts seventeen to eighteen were read to Chief Diamond Tobin West, Chief Morrison Ifeanyi Asimole and Telema Osazuwa and they also pleaded not guilty.

The first defendant, Chief Diamond Tobin West, also represented the second defendant Afro Rivers Nigeria Limited.

The third defendant was Chief Morrison Ifeanyi Asimole, fourth was Telema Osazuwa while fifth and sixth defendants were Christian Kelechukwu Okoli and Tonye Azike respectively.

They were officers of Port-Harcourt Club, 1928, and the offence was allegedly committed between 2017 and 2020 in which they allegedly took possession of money directly and indirectly which had formed part of proceeds of unlawful act.

The prosecuting counsel moved to correct the fifth defendant’s name from Christian Ikechukwu Okoli to Christian Kelechukwu Okoli and was granted by the judge.

However, the judge drew attention to the third defendant’s name and knew from defendant her name was Telema Osazuwa not Telema Osazuma as was read in the charges.

As a result, the counts for third defendant were again read and she pleaded not guilty.

The case is between the federal government and the defendants and the defence counsel said they were eager to prove their innocence.

The defence also said that they were all members and officers of Port-Harcourt Club, 1928.

The defence counsel had earlier filed application for bail for all defendants before later filing for some of the defendants but the prosecution said that he needed to amend first application before application requesting bail for some of the defendants.

He also said he needed time to react to the application.

But the judge ordered that the defendants be remanded in custody of EFCC pending hearing of the bail application on July 12.

She also said that the counsel must know sureties and ensure that defendants would be in court for hearing of the bail application.