Connect with us

Politics

Court adjourns Fayose’s trial over judge’s absence

Published

on

They're not mine! Fayose claims EFCC sealing houses belonging to 'innocent' people in Ekiti

The trial of the immediate past governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose has been postponed by a Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday.

The governor is facing trial over N6.9 billion fraud charges against him while he was in government.

According to the court on Tuesday, the case was further adjourned till June 10 due to the absence of the judge in charge of the case, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun who was on official assignment.

Recall that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Oct. 22, 2018, had arraigned former Governor Fayose on an 11-count charge. He was arraigned with a company, Spotless Investment Ltd.

Fayose who pleaded not guilty to the charges against him was granted bail in the sum of N50 million with one surety in like sum.

The EFCC had called on 13 witnesses against Fayose since it opened his case on Nov. 19, 2018.

In the charge against the former governor, he was alleged to have connived with one Abiodun Agbele to have on June 17, 2014, unlawfully taken possession of N1.2billion to fund the campaign of his governorship election in 2014.

The act according to EFCC formed part of crime proceeds.

Fayose was also alleged of collecting a cash payment of five million dollars, (about N1.8 billion) from the then Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, without going through any financial the institution, adding that the amount had exceeded the amount allowed by law.

He was also accused of retaining N300 million in a Zenith bank account and illegally taking control of the aggregate sums of about N622 million.

The former governor was equally alleged to have procured De Privateer Ltd. and Still Earth Ltd. to illegally retain in their Zenith Bank accounts number 1013835889 an aggregate sum of N851 million.

Read also: Nigerian govt asks Obasanjo to withdraw Fulanization comment, apologize to Nigerians

In addition, he was also alleged to have unlawfully used about N1.6 billion to acquire property in Lagos and Abuja.

The EFCC equally charged the former governor with unlawfully using N200 million to acquire a property in Abuja in the name of his elder sister, Moji Oladeji.

The alleged offences contravene the provisions of Sections 15(1), 15 (2), 15 (3), 16(2)(b), 16 (d), and 18 (c) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now