The former Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu and Prophet Emmanuel Omale of the Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry have been cleared of a N573million money laundering claims.
Justice Halilu Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory High Court delivered the jugement on a suit marked: FCT/HC/CV2541/2020 filed by Omale, his wife and the church.
In the course of the investigation of Magu by the Justice Isa Salami-led presidential investigation panel, it was claimed that an investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, revealed that the former EFCC boss paid N573million into Omale’s church’s account with which property was allegedly bought in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, UAE.
In his verdict, Justice Halilu noted that the evidence before the court showed that Omale’s bank admitted error in its report to the NFIU, of entries in the Divine hand of God Prophetic ministries account.
The judge further held that the bank claimed that the purported N573 million was wrongly reflected as a credit entry in Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry’s account by its reporting system, which it recently upgraded.
Justice Halilu noted that the bank admitted the error, which occasioned incalculable damage to the reputation of Pastor Omale, his wife and their church both within and outside the country.
The judge has awarded the sum of N540 million Naira as damages in favour of the church.