A former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, Olasupo Shasore (SAN) was arraigned on Friday with a firm, Middlesex Investment Limited on a 14-count money laundering charge before a Federal High Court in Abuja. Shasore and Middlesex were accused, in the charge by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of laundering about N109.8m. The defendants were, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/386/222 alleged to have among others, made transactions in accounts in GTBank in breach of the Money Laundering Act.
In one of the counts, the defendants were accused of failing to report, in writing, to the EFCC, a single lodgment of N60m from Mandivera Global Resources Limited into the account marked: 0005659394 maintained by Middlesex in GTBank. They were also alleged to have failed to report to the EFCC, a single lodgment of another N48.8m into the same account in breach of money laundering laws.
In another count, Shasore was said to have, in November 2017 committed money laundering by transferring $30,000 single lodgement into Middlesex’s account with GTBank where he is a sole signatory. The former Lagos AG was equally accused of failing to establish an anti-Money Laundering Desk and designate a Compliance Officer in his company as required by law.
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Part of the count reads: “That you Olasupo Shasore (SAN) a director of and signatory to the bank account of Middlesex Investment Ltd, at all material times, sometime in January 2014, aided Middlesex Investment Ltd in failing to comply with the requirements of submitting to the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, a declaration of the activities of Middlesex Investment Ltd contrary to section 16 (1) (f) read together with Section 5(1)(a)(ii) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the same Act and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.”
After the charge was read to him, Shasore pleaded not guilty, following which his lawyer, Olawale Akoni (SAN) applied for bail for him. Lead prosecuting lawyer, Bala Sanga, did not object, following which Justice Inyang Ekwo allowed Shasore to remain on bail based on the conditions attached to an earlier administrative bail granted him by the EFCC. Justice Ekwo then adjourned till March 13 next year for the commencement of trial.