Fani-Kayode appeared before an Ikeja Special Offences Court on a 12-count charge including forgery. He pleaded not guilty
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday arraigned a former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, for allegedly forging medical reports to evade trial.
Fani-Kayode appeared before an Ikeja Special Offences Court on a 12-count charge.
TheNiche had reported in November that the EFCC arrested Fani-Kayode over alleged forgery and manipulation of documents that he used to stall his trial.
A source in the EFCC had told TheNiche in confidence: “The EFCC found out that the medical documents which were purportedly obtained from Kubwa General Hospital in Abuja were forged. They are all fake.
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“Yet, Fani-Kayode uses these forged documents to ask for adjournments on medical grounds, all in a bid to stall his trial.
“He has been manipulating the judicial system and evading trial. EFCC just investigated the matter and found out that he was duping the system, hence his arrest.”
At his arraignment today, Fani-Kayode pleaded not guilty to the charge. Following his plea of not guilty, counsel to EFCC, S.I. Suleiman asked the court for a date for trial.
He also prayed to the court to remand the former minister in prison.
In an oral application, counsel to Fani-Kayode, Wale Balogun, however, prayed the court to grant him bail in accordance with Section 115(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2021 as amended.
He said that the defendant has, since 2016, been standing trial before two justices of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court and had met all the requirements for bail in the cases.
Balogun noted that Fani-Kayode had deposited his international passport to the Federal High Court as part of the terms of his bail.
He said: “Upon the commencement of investigation into this matter, the defendant was invited on November 23 by the EFCC and interviewed for several hours and granted bail on self-recognition.
“He was also invited on November 30 by the commission where he was served the current charge.
“He was released to me and I gave the undertaking to produce him in court for arraignment.
“All the offences in the charge are bailable, with punishment ranging from three to seven years. We apply that your lordship’s absolute discretion be applied to the defendant.”
The counsel noted that the defendant was a two-time minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“He is 61 years old and by no means a flight risk,” the counsel submitted.
Granting the bail, Justice O.O Abike-Fadipe said that EFCC did not appear to oppose the bail application and that the defendant did not pose a flight risk.
“The defendant shall execute a bond in the sum of five million Naira and file an undertaking that he shall attend all proceedings in this case.
“The defendant shall present a surety in like sum who shall be resident within the jurisdiction of this court; the surety shall also execute a bond in the sum of five million Naira,” she held.
Fani-Kayode joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in September, ending months of speculation that he would be teaming up with the ruling party.
Until his defection to the APC, Fani-Kayode had been one of the chief critics of President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling party, even calling presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, an agent of Satan.
His defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC was seen by observers as an attempt to escape his legal troubles with the EFCC.
