- Sam, Efe and Ekpo Sodje have all been accused of using their accounts to help fraudsters launder money
- Five companies were sent false emails and tricked into sending money to the accounts of the brothers
- The former footballers would then withdraw the money in turns with other accomplices for their contacts
Nigerian football brothers Sam, Efe and Ekpo Sodje have all been accused of helping fraudsters launder nearly £80,000 stolen from a string of international companies.
Sam, 38-year-old played for Reading during the 2006/07 season, Nigerian World Cup defender Efe, 35-year-old, and former Charlton striker Akpo, 37-year-old, allowed their bank accounts in the UK to be used for money laundering while they were given a percentage of the proceeds.
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Efe Sodje was a former Nigerian international. Photo: Macclesfield Express
According to the Mirror, Sam and Efe are now on trial at the Old Bailey but Akpo has refused to return to the UK from his home in Dubai.
It was reported that "five companies based in Colombia, India, Italy and Abu Dhabi were tricked by false email invoices into transferring money to accounts owned by Akpo Sodje and alleged accomplice Emmanuel Ehikhamen.
Akpo Sodje. Photo: Liverpoolecho.co.uk
The money was then transferred on or withdrawn in cash by the Sodje brothers together with Ehikhamen and 49 year-old Andrew Oruma - with some of the money going to the Sodjes' mother Elizabeth."
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Text and WhatsApp messages were presented as further evidences to the jurors.
Sam Sodje is a former Nigerian international who has played for Charlton, West Brom, Watford and Leeds as a defender.
Efe Sodje, also a defender, represented Nigeria in the 2000 African Cup of Nations and the 2002 World Cup and played for a series of English clubs including Crewe and Huddersfield.
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Akpo Sodje,famous for his colourful hairstyles, played for Huddersfield, QPR and Charlton as well as for a club in China.
All the men accused have denied the charges.
Meanwhile, you can see NAIJ.com's video of the Super Eagles training ahead of the World Cup qualifiers;