By Adekunle Sulaimon
Businessman and socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has broken his silence after perfecting his N10 million bail condition with two sureties in like sum.
Okechukwu claimed he was not small and that money was water in an Instagram post shortly after his arraignment on Wednesday.
“Seeing all your messages and love. I’m so humbled. Now it’s confirmed CP (Cubana Priest) is not small. Money na water (sic),” he wrote.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the Federal High Court in Lagos State was granted N10m bail with two sureties in like sum.
The celebrity barman pleaded not guilty to tampering and abusing the naira during his trial.
He was arraigned 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.
He also was alleged to have sprayed the naira on February 13, 2024, at Eko Hotel.
Additionally, Cubana Chief Priest was said to have committed the offences while dancing during a social event.
He was also reported to have tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 notes issued by the CBN by spraying the same for two hours.
In the charge marked FHC/L/ 246/2024, obtained by The PUNCH, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission 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 offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.”
