The trial of Ayodele Fayose, a former governor of Ekiti, over an alleged N6.9 billion fraud, was stalled at the federal high court, Lagos on Thursday.
The judge, Chukwujekwu Aneke, was said to be on another official assignment.
The case has been fixed for July 1 for the continuation of trial.
The former governor is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged N6.9 billion fraud and money laundering.
According to the Cable newspaper, he was first arraigned on October 22, 2018, before Mojisola Olatoregun, a judge, alongside his company, Spotless Investment Ltd, on 11 counts bordering on fraud and money laundering.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail on Oct. 24, 2018, in the sum of N50 million with sureties in like sum.
The defendant was re-arraigned before Aneke on July 2, 2019, after the case was withdrawn from Olatoregun, following the EFCC’s petition.
Fayose entered a ‘not guilty’ plea to the charges and was permitted to remain free on the previously set bond amount.
The commission is still calling witnesses.
Background
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 they reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.
Fayose was alleged to have received a cash payment of $5 million from Musiliu Obanikoro, a former minister of state for defence, without going through any financial institution.
He was also alleged to have retained the sum of N300 million in his account and purportedly took control of the aggregate sum of about N622 million, which he reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.
He was further alleged to have procured De Privateer Ltd. and Still Earth Ltd., to retain the aggregate sum of N851 million which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.
The defendant was alleged to have used the aggregate sum of about N1.6 billion to acquire properties in Lagos and Abuja, which 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 formed 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.
