Court grants Cubana Chief Priest N10m bail Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court in Lagos State has granted businessman and socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, N10m bail with two sureties in like sum. The Nation reported that the celebrity bar man pleaded not guilty to tampering and abusing the naira during his trial. Cubana Chief Priest was arraigned before Justice Kehinde Ogundare on three counts bordering on abuse of naira by allegedly spraying and tampering with the naira at a social event, contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007. He was alleged to have sprayed the naira on February 13, 2024 at Eko Hotel. Cubana Chief Priest was said to have also committed the offences while dancing during a social event. He was said to have tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 notes issued by the CBN by spraying the same for two hours. The anti-graft agency arraigned Cubana Chief Priest on a three-count charge of allegedly spraying and tampering with the Naira notes at a social event contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007. In the charge filed on April 4 by the EFFC’s prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), and seven other lawyers representing the executive chairman of the anti-graft Commission, it was alleged that Okechukwu Pasca on February 13, 2024, at Eko Hotel, within the jurisdiction of the court, while dancing during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007. In count 2, it was alleged “that you, Okechukwu Pasca,l sometime in 2020, 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 for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.” In count 3, it was alleged: “that you, Okechukwu Pasca,l 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.” Recall that the EFCC on April 5 secured the conviction of a popular cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky, on similar charges for which he was sentenced to six months imprisonment. However, upon news of his arrest, multiple videos of the socialite abusing the Naira have continued to make rounds on social media.
