….as he pleads not guilty
by Ola Kay
The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State has granted a socialite and businessman, Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, a N10m bail with two sureties in like sum.
Okechukwu was arraigned before the presiding Judge, Justice Kehinde Ogundare on three count-charge bordering on abuse of the nations currency by allegedly spraying and tampering with the Naira at a social event, an offence contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007.
Cubana Chief Priest was alleged to have sprayed the naira on February 13, 2024, at Eko Hotel. He was said to have also committed the offences while dancing during a social event,where he allegedly tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 notes issued by the CBN, an act which allegedly lasted for about two hours.
During his trial, the businessman had pleaded not guilty to the charges of tampering with and abuse of the naira notes .
In the charge sheet marked FHC/L/ 246/2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC alleged that in 2020, during a social occasion that took place in Lagos, Pascal Okechukwu Cubana Chief Priest) tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, by spraying the same for two hours.
“That you, Okechukwu Pascal, sometime in January 2024, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007,” according to allegation preferred against the accused in count 3.
Recall that, on April 5, 2024, the anti-graft agency secured the conviction of popular cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, a.k.a Bobrisky, on similar charges, leading to his ongoing six-month imprisonment on Friday, April 12, 2024.
On Sunday, the EFCC, in a statement, informed the public that it was investigating some celebrities over alleged abuse of Naira. Dele Oyewale, spokesperson of the EFCC had said, “Many of them have made useful statements to the commission and many more have been invited by investigators working on the matter.
“The EFCC will not relent in its no-sacred-cow mode of operations and the public should be wary of running afoul of laws against the crime.”
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