Former Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, was arraigned before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday on a nine-count money laundering charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
News About Nigeria gathered that Obiano, who pleaded not guilty, was subsequently granted administrative bail under certain conditions.
According to the terms of his bail, Obiano’s international passport has been seized, and he has been warned against travelling outside the country without the court’s permission.
The EFCC has also been directed to provide details of the people who stood as sureties for the former governor.
The trial is set to commence on March 4, 2023.
The charges against Obiano relate to his tenure as the executive governor of Anambra State from March 2014 to March 2022.
Among the allegations, he is accused of indirectly transferring funds from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account into accounts belonging to entities with no business relationship with the state government.
The funds were allegedly misappropriated for purposes unrelated to the security affairs of Anambra State.
The former governor was arrested on March 17, 2022, at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos, just hours after leaving office.
The charges brought against him include violations of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended).
The EFCC alleges that Obiano reasonably ought to have known that the funds involved in the transactions formed part of the proceeds of unlawful acts, specifically stealing and corruption.
Obiano served as the governor of Anambra State for eight years before the end of his tenure in March 2022.
