The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, on Friday, January 9, 2026, arraigned an Austrian national, Kavlak Onal, before Justice Yelim Bogoro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, over alleged failure to declare large sums of foreign currency in his possession.
Onal was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) while preparing to travel on an Emirates Airline flight to Dubai. He was intercepted during a routine check at the Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Currency Declaration Desk at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.
Following his arrest, Onal was handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution. Upon the conclusion of investigations, he was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on money laundering.
According to the charge, the defendant allegedly failed to declare the sum of $800,575 to the Nigeria Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on December 13, 2025, an offence said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2022.
In the second count, Onal was accused of also failing to declare the sum of €651,505 at the same airport and on the same date, an act likewise said to contravene Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2022.
When the charges were read to him, the defendant pleaded “not guilty” to both counts.
Following the plea, the prosecution counsel, Bilikisu Bala Buhari, requested a trial date to enable the prosecution prove its case and also asked the court to remand the defendant in a Correctional Centre.
However, defence counsel, Stanley Imhanruor, informed the court that a bail application had been filed on behalf of the defendant. In response, the prosecution stated that the bail application was served on her at 9:07 a.m. on Friday, January 9, 2026, and requested time to respond.
Consequently, Justice Bogoro adjourned the matter till January 16, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application.
