Akin Kuponiyi
A federal high court sitting in Lagos on Wednesday dismissed the application of Mrs Olarewaju Otiti, who is a a co- defendant in a criminal charge against the former minister of Capital territory, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) .
Justice Muslim Hassan in dismissing Mrs Otiti’s application for trip abroad for medical treatment said that there is no evidence to show that her ailment cannot be treated in Nigeria and the doctor’s report attached to the affidavit is a mere computer generated documents without any foundations of the authenticity.
The judge also said that if the court grant such application and the third defendant refuse to return it will be difficult to secure her arrest in the United State of American.
The judge refused the application as lacking in merit and subsequently dismissimed it.
Counsel to the 2nd defendant earlier wrote a letter for an adjournment on the ground that he was in court of appeal in another matter in Ibadan with the same prosecutor in the case Rotimi Oyedepo. Chief Bolaji Ayorinde who represented Jumoke Akinjide did not oppose the application for adjournment
The case was later adjourned to 16th of May for continuation of cross extermination of prosecution witness Usman Zakari.
The defendants were arraigned before the court in June last year for receiving the sum of N650m from former minister of PETROLEUM resources Mrs Diezani Alison Maduekwe.
The EFCC, in a 24 count charges filed against the defendants, alleged that they collected the sum of N650m from a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, in the build-up to the 2015 general elections.
The anti-graft agency claimed that they ought to have “reasonably known that the money formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act.”
Counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, stated that they acted contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2012, and were liable to punishment under Section 15(3) and 4 of the same Act.
Oloye Jumoke Akinjide was alleged to have given a cash sum of N107.4m to Otti and N134.4m to Adeseun out of the N650m on March 26, 2015.
She was also alleged to have given N26.5m cash to one Ayoka Lawani; N56.4m to one Alhaji Kunmi Mustapha; N28.6m to one Honourable Muraina Ajibola; N16m to one Honourable Yinka Taiwo and N10.7m to one Prince Ayuba.
The said cash payments exceeded the threshold stipulated by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2012.as Akinjide, Adeseun and Otiti acted contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2012, were liable to punishment under Section 15(3) and 4 of the same Act.