By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
The trial of Ekiti State former Governer, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, over alleged N2.2 billion fraud has suffered a setback.
At the Federal High Court Lagos on Tuesday October , 2020, a witness failed to show up.
Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), told the court that he was “having difficulties bringing his witnesses to court because of happenings in the EFCC”.
Jacobs, who was expected to call his 8th prosecution witness, asked the court to grant an adjournment.
Recall that Monday, the EFCC Counsel had called his 7th witness, Adedamola Otuyalo, to testify. Following the conclusion of Otuyalo’s testimony early Tuesday morning, the trial came to an abrupt end as there were no further witnesses in court, prompting the prosecution counsel to make the request for the adjournment.
According to Channelstv report, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke granted the adjournment and fixed the continuation of trial for October 19 and 20.
The EFCC recently witnessed a change in leadership after its acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, was arrested and whisked to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where he appeared before a presidential panel, set up to probe the EFCC under him.
Fayose, alongside Spotless Investment Limited, is facing 11 counts bordering on criminal breach of trust, theft and money laundering.
In the charge, the EFCC alleged, among other things, 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.”