EFCC re-opens Fayose’s N2.2bn fraud case

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday re-opened the N2.2 billion fraud case it brought against a former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose before the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

The anti-graft agency also presented the same witnesses it had earlier called to testify against the former governor.

The EFCC had called 13 out of 22 witnesses about a year ago when the trial first opened before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The case file was however withdrawn from Justice Olatoregun in June and re-assigned to Justice C.J. Aneke of the same court.

Fayose, alongside his company, Spotless Limited, is facing 11 counts bordering on criminal breach of trust, theft and money laundering. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

At the proceeding on Monday before Justice Aneke, the EFCC called Lawrence Akande, an official of Zenith Bank Plc, as its first witness.

Akande told the court that as a zonal head of his bank, he had a relationship with Fayose and had solicited his patronage.

According to him, he knew the ex-governor to be someone of high net worth from whom he could get sufficient deposit for his bank.

Read also: How we spent $76.5m recovered Abacha loot to lift Nigerians out of poverty —FG

“A man of low means does not become the governor of a state,” the banker said under cross-examination by Fayose’s lawyer, Mr Ola Olanipekun (SAN).

He also told the court of an occasion in 2014 when Fayose allegedly asked him to pick up money for him at the Akure Airport.

The trial adjourned proceedings till Tuesday (today)

The EFCC alleged, in the charges, that Fayose on June 17, 2014, “took possession of the sum of N1,219,000,000 to fund your 2014 gubernatorial campaign in Ekiti State, which you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing.”

The ex-governor was also alleged to have, on the same day, “received a cash payment of $5,000,000 from Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the then minister of state for defence, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 1 and 16(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16 (2)(b) of the same Act.”

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