Local: The final forfeiture of Chinese's $300,000 was secured by EFCC

Justice Babatunde Quadri of the Federal High Court, Abuja, directed the final forfeiture of $300,000 by Li Yan Pin, a Chinese citizen, to the Federal Government of Nigeria on Monday, 11 May 2020.

The judge had previously ordered a temporary forfeiture of the money after an expatriate complaint by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Yan Pin was brought to court on charges of money laundering brought against him by the EFCC after intelligence had led to his arrest at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for failing to report the amount in his possession as he attempted to board a flight to China on the Dubai route.

Justice Qudri acknowledged in his judgment that the prosecution proved its case beyond any reasonable doubt and found the defendant guilty of the charges under Section 2, sub-section (5) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act , 2011, as amended in 2012.

The defense counsel in its response pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, as the convict, he said had invested his resources to the development of Nigeria, and currently facing difficult health challenges.

He also noted that his client has no previous criminal record.

Although demanding that the balance be forfeited to the Federal Government, Justice Quadri rescued the prisoner from prison on the ground that he had already applied for medical leave over suspected COVID 19 symptoms, including recurrent headache, insomnia and exhaustion.