Presidential panel member re-arraigned for alleged $1milliom money laundering

A member of committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces, Air Commodore Umar Mohammed, has been  re-arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Umar, 54, was arraigned on Friday with his company, Easy Jet Integrated Services Limited, before Justice John Tsoho, on a four-count amended charge. They were charged with money laundering, illegal possession of firearms and violation of the Official Secret Act.

They were earlier arraigned in July before another judge of the same court, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, who granted Umar bail at N100m, with two sureties at N50m each. The sureties could be a private citizen or public officer, with landed property in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Umar’s rearraignment on Friday was informed by the transfer of the case to another judge and the amendment of the earlier charge by the prosecution.

Umar and his company are accused of conspiracy and accepting $1,030,000 in cash from a frim, Worldwide Consortium PTY Ltd, “as payment for flight services without going through a financial institution as required by law.