Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has entered a plea of not guilty in response to charges of naira abuse brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The social media personality faced a three-count charge at the Federal High Court in Lagos before Justice Kehinde Ogundare on Wednesday.
According to the anti-graft commission, Cubana Chief Priest is accused of abusing the naira during a social event, an act deemed to be in violation of the Central Bank Act of 2007. Following his plea of not guilty, the court granted him bail set at ₦10 million with two sureties in like sum. The sureties, who must be gainfully employed at the federal or state government and not below grade level 16, are required to possess landed property verified by the court.
Additionally, Cubana Chief Priest must surrender his travel passport to the court’s custody as part of the bail conditions. These conditions must be fulfilled within seven days, during which time he has been released to his lawyer under an undertaking to produce him later. Failure to meet these conditions may result in his remand in a correctional facility.
The charges against Cubana Chief Priest, filed on April 4th by EFCC’s prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) and seven other lawyers representing the Commission’s chairman, outline incidents where he allegedly tampered with N500 notes during social events in February 2024, January 2024, and in 2020.
Meanwhile, the defendant has informed the court of his intent to challenge the court’s jurisdiction to hear the charges. Justice Ogundare has scheduled a hearing for this application on May 2nd.
This development follows the recent arraignment of controversial figure Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, on similar charges by the EFCC, resulting in a six-month jail term.
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