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Court remands Adegboruwa in EFCC custody

Published

8 years ago

May 12, 2016

Court remands Adegboruwa in EFCC custody

Lagos lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, was Thursday arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for allegedly dealing in a landed property in defiance of a court order.

He was arraigned on a one count charge alongside one Jonathan Udeagbala, who is said to be at large, before Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo of a Federal High Court in Lagos.

According to EFCC prosecutor, Idris Abdullahi, the anti-graft agency claimed that Adegboruwa and Udeagbala dealt in a property “lying, being and situate at House 105, Nicon Estate, Lekki, Lagos,” without the authorisation of the EFCC, adding that the said property was the subject of litigation before Justice C.A. Balogun of the Lagos State High Court.

Justice Balogun was said to have given an order of interim injunction attaching the property on June 18, 2012.

Adegboruwa and his co-accused were accused of leasing the property to one Shelf Drilling Nigeria Limited in the sum of N61, 631, 944. 65, which the EFCC claimed was credited into Adegboruwa’s account with Zenith Bank.

The prosecutor claimed that Adegboruwa and Udeagbala committed an offence punishable under Section 32(1) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004.

Adegboruwa pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him, prompting his lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, SAN, urging the court to grant him bail on self-recognition, promising that his client would neither jump bail nor interfere with the prosecution’s witnesses, noting that Adegboruwa was a man “who fights for the downtrodden.

“He is a parish pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church, Lekki branch, and by his calling, he ministers every Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and sometimes Saturday.

“He runs a robust legal firm in Lekki, and I know as a matter of fact that about 50 per cent of the cases in his law firm are pro bono for indigent citizens,” Etiaba said.

Ruling on the bail application, Justice Oguntoyinbo said she was reluctant to admit Adegboruwa to bail on self-recognition. She however granted him bail in the sum of N10m with two sureties in like sum.

According to the judge, the sureties must have landed property in Lagos, whose bank account details and office and residential addresses must be verified by the court’s registrar.

She ordered Adegboruwa to be remanded in EFCC custody pending when he meets the bail conditions.

The case was adjourned till June 13, 2016 for commencement of trial.

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