The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed money laundering charges against Alhaji Muhammad Saidu, a former Chief of Staff and Commissioner of Finance in Kaduna State.
Naijaonpoint reports that the charges were submitted to the Federal High Court in Kaduna on Tuesday, accusing Saidu of accepting an illegal cash payment of ₦155,000,000 from Ibrahim Muktar, a public officer in the Ministry of Finance.
Muhammad Saidu served as Finance Commissioner in the immediate-past administration of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-rufai.
The payment, reportedly received through Saidu’s Special Assistant, Muazu Abdu, in March 2022, allegedly exceeded the legal limit for cash transactions.
Saidu faces two counts of money laundering. According to the ICPC charge sheet, one count alleges that Saidu, as Commissioner of Finance, “accepted a cash payment of ₦155,000,000 from Ibrahim Muktar through a proxy, Muazu Abdu, exceeding the amount permitted by law.”
The second count accuses Saidu of “indirectly taking control of the ₦155,000,000 through his assistant, Muazu Abdu, which he reasonably ought to have known was derived from corruption.”
Both charges are in violation of Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The ICPC, represented by Assistant Chief Legal Officer Dr. Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha, also disclosed an ongoing investigation into Saidu over allegations of laundering ₦3.96 billion and misappropriating ₦244 million during his tenure in the Kaduna State government.
This development comes amid broader allegations of financial misconduct within the administration of former Governor El-Rufai.
The Kaduna State House of Assembly recently indicted El-Rufai’s government for the alleged mismanagement of over ₦423 billion in state funds.