New Telegraph

Alleged N3.3bn fraud: Absence of prosecution’s witness stalls Fayose’s trial

Further hearing in the trial of a former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Ayodele Fayose, over alleged N3.3 billion fraud was on Monday stalled at a Federal High Court in Lagos owing to the absence of a prosecution witness.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Fayose and his company, Spotless Limited, before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on an 11-count charge of alleged N3.3 billion fraud.

On resumption of Monday’s proceedings, EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), drew the court’s attention to the absence of his witness.

He said the witness was unable to come to court because one of his relatives is on admission at a COVID-19 isolation center. The silk consequently sought for an adjournment of the matter.

 

In the absence of any objection to Jacob’s request from the defence lawyers, Justice Aneke adjourned further hearing in the matter to October 20.

 

According to the charge filed by the EFCC, 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 State, 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 $5 million (about N1.8 billion) from a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, without going through any financial institution and which sum exceeded the amount allowed by law.

 

He was also alleged to have retained the sum of N300 million in his 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.

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