By Paul Akalonu
Ibrahim Magu, the former Acting-Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has been cleared of the charge that he assisted Pastor Emmanuel Omale of the Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry and his wife, Deborah, in laundering N573 million.
Following a complaint filed by Omale, his wife, and the church, Justice Yusuf Halilu exonerated Magu of money laundering in a verdict issued on Tuesday.
During the Justice Isa Salami-led presidential panel, it was alleged that an investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit revealed that Magu paid N573 million into Omale’s church’s account, with which property was allegedly purchased in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
However, Justice Halilu stated in his ruling that the evidence before his court proved that Omale’s bank conceded error in its report to the NFIU of entries in Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry’s account.
The judge further ruled that the bank claimed that the alleged N573 million was incorrectly reported as a credit entry in Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry’s account by its recently improved reporting system.
Justice Halilu remarked that the bank accepted the error, which caused immeasurable harm to Pastor Omale, his wife, and their church’s reputation both within and outside the country.
