N15m bribe allegations against us unfounded — EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied reports that its officials received a N15 million bribe to drop money laundering charges against popular crossdresser Bobrisky.

Okuneye, an ex-convict who recently completed a six-month jail term, was charged in court in March for money laundering and naira abuse allegations, but as the case progressed, the money laundering charge was dropped.

Prior to dropping the money laundering charges, the EFCC alleged that Bobrisky, through his company Bob Express, failed to report a total of N180.7 million in transactions to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML) between September 2021 and April 2024.

Social activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, claimed that the withdrawal of the charge came with a price tag of N15 million.

Otse leaked a WhatsApp phone call where a voice similar to Bobrisky admitted giving N15 million to EFCC operatives in exchange for dropping the money laundering charge, which, if pursued, would have attracted a stiffer penalty.

However, refuting the claim at the House of Representatives investigative hearing on the matter on Monday, the EFCC Prosecutor, Bilikisu Buhari, explained the circumstances that led to the withdrawal of the money laundering charges.

She said: “When we were analyzing the cases to prepare our charges, the purpose of the charges in the first place was to charge for naira abuse and mutilation of naira currency.

“But then the defendant confessed that Bob Express, and we attached his statement wherein he made this confession. Bob Express is not registered with SCUML, and knowing that we can convict on a confessional statement, we went ahead to include counts five and six in the charge.

“But when we arrived in court in the morning, and having in mind the response from the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering, saying that the Bob Express we are charging for not rendering returns is not qualified to be a designated Non-Financial Business and Professionals as provided under the Money Laundering Act.”

Chief of Staff to the EFCC Chairman, Michael Nzekwe, who said a thorough investigation has been conducted on the matter, described the allegation as unfounded and malicious.

According to him, the accusers have no evidence to back up their claims.

“The place and time of the delivery of the alleged bribe or the account where it was paid were not disclosed by the ex-convict,” he said.