Court Orders Ex-El-Rufai Chief of Staff and Co-Defendant to Open Defence in N155m Laundering Trial

The Federal High Court in Kaduna has ruled that Bashir Mohammed Saidu, former finance commissioner and chief of staff to ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and his co-defendant Ibrahim Murktar must open their defence in the N155 million money laundering case brought by the ICPC. Justice Rilwan Aikawa dismissed the defendants’ no-case submission, finding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case. The court held that evidence shows questions remain for the defendants to answer under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The ICPC alleges Murktar, then a ministry cashier, withdrew multiple cash tranches from the Kaduna State Exchange Gain Account and handed them over on Saidu’s behalf, bypassing the banking system. The trial will resume on June 22, 2026, for the defence to present its case.

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