Naira Abuse: Why Cubana Chief Priest’s Trial Was Adjourned
Celebrity barman Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, will wait another three weeks to continue his trial for allegedly abusing Naira notes. The Federal High Court in Lagos adjourned the trial on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, after Okechukwu’s lawyer, Chikaosolu Ojukwu, failed to appear in court.
Okechukwu is facing three counts of allegedly spraying and tampering with Naira notes during a social event at Eko Hotel in Lagos on April 17, 2024. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail set at N10m.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Okechukwu for contravening Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act of 2007. The charges allege that Okechukwu tampered with N500 notes while dancing at the event.
At the previous hearing on May 2, Okechukwu’s defence counsel, and the EFCC counsel, Bilkisu Buhari, disclosed that both parties were exploring a settlement under Section 14(2) of the EFCC Act. Hence, the case was adjourned to June 5, 2024, for a settlement report. However, when the case was called up on Wednesday, Justice Kehinde Ogundare was informed that Ojukwu had requested another adjournment due to his absence in court for the hearing.
The court subsequently rescheduled the case to June 25, 2024, for mention.
