By Abiola Olawale
Popular businessman and socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, also known as Cubana Chief Priest, has arrived at the Federal High Court in Lagos for his trial on alleged abuse of the Naira.
He was driven to the court around 8:45 am on Wednesday by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and armed police escorts.
He is expected to face trial before Justice Kehinde Ogundare on three counts bordering on abuse of naira, by allegedly spraying and tampering with the nation’s currency at a social event, contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007.
The New Diplomat reports that on Tuesday, EFCC filed a three-count charge against the social media celebrity.
In a suit filed on April 4, 2024, by the EFFC’s prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) and seven other lawyers representing the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, it was alleged that Pascal Okechukwu, on February 13, 2024, at Eko Hotel, within the jurisdiction of the court, while dancing during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, by spraying same for two hours, and thereby committed an offense contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.
In the charge marked FHC/L/ 246/2024, the commission also alleged that sometime in 2020, during a social event in Lagos, Cubana Chief Priest tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, by spraying the same for two hours.
In Count 3, it was alleged: “That you, Okechukwu Pascal, sometime in January 2024, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same and you thereby committed an offense, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.”
It would be recalled that the commencement of the trial of Cubana Chief Priest came after the EFCC secured the conviction of popular cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky, on similar charges for which he was sentenced to six months imprisonment on Friday, April 12, 2024.
