The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 19, 2020, governorship poll in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, will today appear in court for alleged N700 million fraud.
In an eight-count money laundering charge against Ize-Iyamu and four others before the Federal High Court, Benin City, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said the money was handed to the defendants to prosecute the 2015 general elections.
In the suit marked FHC/BE21C/ 2016 and presided over by Justice J. M. Umar, the anti-graft agency said Ize-Iyamu and the other defendants allegedly collected the funds contrary to the provisions of the EFCC Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
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Other defendants in the matter are Lucky Imasuen, former deputy governor of Edo State, Chief Dan Orbih, PDP chairman in Edo State; Tony Aziegbemi, and Efe Erimuoghae.
“That you Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Lucky Imasuen, Tony Azigbemi, Chief Dan Orbih, Efe Erimuoghae Anthony and Chief Anthony Anenih (now at large) sometime March 2015 in Benin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did directly take possession and control of the sum of 700,000,000.00 (seven hundred million naira) only without any contract award which sum you reasonably ought to have known form part of proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit; fraud and corruption; and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Amendment Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3)of the same Act”, one of the counts read.
The alleged fraud was said to have been committed when Ize-Iyamu was still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), before his defection to the APC.
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