By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
Justice Chukwujekwu. J. Aneke of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Friday granted the application filed by the embattled former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, seeking leave of the court to travel abroad for medical reason.
Fayose is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over N6.9billion fraud and money laundering charges.
He was first arraigned on October 22. 2018, before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, alongside his company, Spotless Investment Ltd, on 11 counts bordering on fraud and money laundering offences.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail on October 24, 2018, in the sum of N50 million with sureties in like sum.
The defendant was subsequently re-arraigned before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, on July 2, 2019, after the case was withdrawn from Justice Olatoregun, now retired, following EFCC’s petition that they might not get fair hearing in her court.
He had also maintained not guilty stance to the charges and was allowed to continue on the earlier bail granted, while the case was adjourned for trial.
The Commission has since opened its case, and is still leading witnesses in evidence.
When the case was called on Friday, the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) informed the court that he was indisposed to go with trial and sought for an adjournment. The application was not opposed by defence.
Further to that, the court also granted an application by defendant through his counsel Ola Olanipekun (SAN), seeking leave of the court to travel overseas on medical grounds. Consequently, the court adjourned the case until January 22, 2021 for continuation of trial.
According to the charge, on June 17, 2014, Fayose and one Abiodun Agbele were said to have taken possession of the sum of N1.2 billion, for purposes of funding his gubernatorial election campaign in Ekiti, which sum they reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.
Fayose was alleged to have received a cash payment of the sum of five million dollars, (about N1.8 billion) from the then Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, without going through any financial institution.
He was also alleged to have retained the sum of N300 million in his account and took control of the aggregate sums of about N622 million which sum he reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.
Fayose was alleged to have procured De Privateer Ltd and Still Earth Ltd, to retain the aggregate sums of N851 million which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.
Besides, the defendant was alleged to have used the aggregate sums of about N1.6 billion to acquire properties in Lagos and Abuja, which sums he reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.
He was also alleged to have used the sum of N200 million, to acquire a property in Abuja, in the name of his elder sister Moji Oladeji, which sum he ought to know also forms crime proceeds.
The 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.
