Ex-minister’s son ‘pays N1b cash for land, four houses’

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will on February 1, 2017 arraign Shamsudeen Bala, son of a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, before Justice N. Dimgba of a Federal High Court, Abuja, for a N1.2 billion fraud.

Bala, who is being charged along with four companies – Bird Trust Agro Allied Limited, Intertrans Global Logistic Ltd, Diakin Telecommunications Ltd and Bal-Vac Mining Nigeria Ltd, is facing a 15-count charge bordering on money laundering offence.

One of the counts reads:

“That you Shamsudeen Bala (alias Shamsudeen Mohammed Bala), Bird Trust Agro Allied Ltd and Intertrans Global Logistics Ltd sometime in 2015 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did without going through a Financial Institution make cash payment of the sum of N296,000,000 (Two hundred and ninety six million naira) only to A & K Constructions Ltd Abuja and Sunrise Estate Development Ltd for Construction of a house on Plot Nos 2116 and 2276 at Asokoro Gardens (alias Sunrise Estate) Abuja, which sum exceeded the statutory limit and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) and (4) of the same Act”.