Celebrity bartender Pascal Okechukwu a.k.a. Cubana Chief Priest is exploring the possibility of an out-of-court settlement of the alleged Naira abuse case filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Judge Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court in Lagos, before whom the case is being heard, has therefore scheduled a settlement report for Thursday, June 5.
EFCC arraigned Okechukwu on April 17, 2024, on three counts of spraying and tampering with Naira notes during a social event at Eko Hotel in Lagos.
After pleading not guilty to the charge, he was granted bail in the amount of N10 million.
The case was adjourned till today, May 2, to hear the preliminary objection and for the commencement of the trial to take place.
During today’s court proceedings, Mrs Bilikisu Buhari appeared on behalf of the prosecution, whereas Mr Chikaosolu Ojukwu (SAN) appeared on behalf of the defendant.
Read Also: EFCC Re-arraigns Nigerian Professor Uche Chigozie Over N1.47bn Money Laundering
Defence counsel then informed the court that the parties are exploring settlement and have applied to settle the matter under section 14(2) of the EFCC Act.
In that case, it will be necessary to apply for a withdrawal of the defence’s preliminary objection and to allow for reconciliation.
In response, the prosecutor confirmed the position as stated by the defence counsel and told the court that the application was still being considered.
Following the position, the defence counsel then applied for withdrawal of the preliminary objection and since there was no objection from the prosecution the court granted the same.
The court consequently adjourned the case until June 5, for a report on the settlement
In the charge, the defendant was said to have tampered with the funds in the denomination of N500, while dancing at the social event at Eko hotel.
The offence contravenes the provisions of section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act of 2007.
