The Sallah holiday has caused a delay in the judgment of the Federal High Court in Lagos regarding the case of Idris Okuneye, commonly known as Bobrisky, who has been convicted of naira abuse.
The court had initially reserved the sentence for April 9, but due to the public holidays declared by the Federal Government to commemorate Sallah, the case could not proceed as scheduled. The court will notify the parties involved of a new date for the judgment.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had filed six counts against Bobrisky on April 4, relating to naira mutilation and money laundering.
On April 5, the socialite was arraigned before Justice Abimbola Awogboro, where he pleaded guilty to the first four counts. The last two counts were struck out by the court following an application by the EFCC.
During the proceedings, Bolaji Temitope, an Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC, provided evidence and narrated the circumstances surrounding the prosecution of Bobrisky.
After reviewing the facts of the case, the prosecutor, Suleiman Suleiman, urged the court to proceed with the conviction of the influencer. According to the charge, Bobrisky committed the offense on March 24 at Circle Mall, Jakande in the Lekki area of Lagos.
The EFCC stated that Bobrisky tampered with a cumulative sum of ₦400,000 while dancing at a social event by spraying the money. The influencer was alleged to have sprayed various amounts of money, such as ₦20,000 and ₦50,000, at different events between 2022 and 2023.
Additionally, the EFCC had previously accused Bobrisky, trading under the name BobExpress, of failing to submit a declaration of the company’s activities between September 1, 2021, and April 4. During this period, ₦128 million was reportedly paid into the company’s account, while a sum of ₦53 million was paid without a declaration to the appropriate unit.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Bobrisky violated sections 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007 and 19 of the Money Laundering Act 2022 with his offenses. Once the case is reopened, the court’s decision will specify the proper legal repercussions for these offenses.
