A Federal High Court sitting at Ikoyi Lagos has adjourned till July 1, 2024 in the money laundering trial of a former Ekiti Governor Ayodele Fayose due to the absence of the trial Judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke.
According to Court officials, Justice Aneke is out on official assignment necessitating the adjournment.
However, the tentative date for the next sitting is July 1, 2024.
Fayose is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with Spotless Investment Ltd on 11 counts of N6.9 billion fraud and money laundering.
Fayose was first arraigned on October 22, 2018, before another trial judge, Mojisola Olatoregun.
The case was withdrawn from Ms Olatoregun, following a petition by the EFCC.
He 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.
When the defendants were re-arraigned before the new judge, Chukwujekwu Aneke, on July 2, 2019, Mr Fayose, again, pleaded not guilty before Aneke who allowed him to continue on the bail granted him by Justice Olatoregun.
The EFCC has since opened its case before the new judge and has been calling its witnesses.
According to the charges filed by the commission, Fayose and one of his aides, Abiodun Agbele, on 17 June 2014, took unlawful possession of N1.2 billion to fund his governorship election campaign in Ekiti State.
The commission alleged that the sum formed part of the crime proceeds.
Fayose was alleged to have received a cash payment of the sum of five million dollars, 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.
It added that Mr Fayose got De Privateer Ltd. and Still Earth Ltd. to retain aggregate sums of N851 million which formed part of crime proceeds.
The defendant was also 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.
The former Governor also allegedly used N200 million in crime proceeds to acquire a property in Abuja in the name of his elder sister, Moji Oladeji.
The alleged offences, EFCC said, contravened sections 15(1), 15 (2), 15 (3), 16(2)(b), 16 (d) and 18 (c) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011.
Source: The Nation
