A Federal High Court in Lagos on
Wednesday fixed Feb.7 for the continuation of the trial of the immediate past
Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, over alleged N6.9 billion fraud.
The case, which was earlier fixed
for today for continuation of cross examination of the fifth prosecution
witness, has been shifted to Thursday, NAN reports.
On the next adjourned date, both
the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), and the defence counsel, Mr Olalekan
Ojo (SAN), will address the court on the admissibility of an extra judicial
statement made by a party who is not standing trial.
Fayose was arraigned by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Oct. 22, 2018 alongside a
company Spotless Investment Ltd on 11 counts.
He had pleaded not guilty to the
charges and the court had granted him bail in the sum of N50 million with one
surety in like sum.
EFCC had opened case for the
prosecution on Nov. 19, 2018 and called four witnesses.
On Jan. 21, the prosecution
called its fifth witness, Sen. Musliu Obanikoro, a former Minister of State for
Defence.
At the last adjourned date on
Feb. 5 (Tuesday), Obanikoro was still under cross examination by second defence
counsel Ojo, who was expected to continue on the next date.
According to the charge, on June
17, 2014, Fayose and 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 Obanikoro, without going through any financial institution and
which sum exceeded the amount allowed by law.
He was also alleged to have
retained N300 million in his Zenith Bank account and took control of the
aggregate sums of about N622 million which sum he ought to have known formed
part of crime proceeds.
Fayose was alleged to have
procured De Privateer Ltd and Still Earth Ltd, to retain in their Zenith and
FCMB accounts, the aggregate sums of N851 million which they reasonably ought
to have known formed part of crime proceeds.
Besides, the accused was alleged
to have used the aggregate sum 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.
The accused 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 contravened Sections
15 (1), 15 (2), 15 (3), 16(2)(b), 16 (d), and 18 (c) of the Money Laundering
Prohibition Act 2011.
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