10th May, 2018
Akin Kuponiyi
A Federal High Court, Lagos on Wednesday dismissed the application of Mrs Olarewaju Otiti, a co-defendant in a criminal charge prefers against the former Minister of the Capital Territory, Jumoke Akinjide by the economic and financial crime commission, EFCC.
The Presiding judge, Justice Muslim Hassan, in dismissing Otiti’s application for trip abroad for medical treatment said there was no evidence to show that her ailment could not be treated in Nigeria and that the doctor’s report attached to the affidavit was a mere computer generated documents without any foundations of the authenticity.
The judge also said that if the court granted such application and the third defendant refused to return, it would be difficult to secure her arrest in the United State of America.
The judge refused the application as lacking in merit and subsequently dismissed it.
Counsel to the 2nd defendant had earlier written 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 this case, Rotimi Oyedepo.
Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, who represented Akinjide did not oppose the application for adjournment
The case was later adjourned to 16th of May for continuation of cross extermination of the 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 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.”