Money Laundering: PH Court Jails Two Lebanese Orders Forfeiture Of $890,000 Undeclared Sum

The Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has secured the conviction of two Lebanese, Chamseddine Waell Mohammed and Dina Jihad Khali, who both pleaded guilty to separate one count charge of money laundering preferred against them by the commission.
According to a statement by the Spokesperson of the commission, Dele Oyewale, in Abuja, and made available to newsmen, the offences run contrary to Section 2 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 2 (5) of the same Act.
The statement added that both defendants were sentenced to two years imprisonment by Justice I. M. Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The first charge read: “That you Chamseddine Waell Mohammed on the 1st July, 2020 at Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Port Harcourt, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did fail to make a declaration of the sum of $220,000.00, hid in your luggage onboard a chartered flight with registration number 9HVFF to Lebanon, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 2 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as Amended) and punishable under Section 2 (5) of the same Act”.
The second charge read: “That you Dina Jihad Khali on the 1st July, 2020 at Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Port Harcourt, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did fail to make a declaration to the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS) as required by law cash transportation of the sum of $670,000.00, hid in your luggage on board a chartered flight with registration number 9HVFF to Lebanon, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 2 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as Amended) and punishable under Section 2 (5) of the same Act”.
The defendants pleaded guilty to the charges.
While reviewing facts of the case, the prosecuting counsel, Aso Larry Peters, tendered some documents, which included Letter of Invitation from Customs and statements of the defendants, as exhibits.
The Principal Detective, Superintendent Macaulay Olayinka, while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, told the court that, the two convicts were arrested for attempting to smuggle a total sum of $890,000, out of Nigeria, through the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.