N4.9b money laundering: Court throws out Fani-Kayode’s application

  From  A Federal High Court in Lagos, Tuesday, threw out an application by a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-kayode, seeking transfer of a money laundering case against him from Lagos to Abuja. Fani-Kayode, who was Chairman, Media and Publicity, of the 2015 PDP Campaign Organisation, standing joint trial alongside with a former Minister […]

 

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A Federal High Court in Lagos, Tuesday, threw out an application by a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-kayode, seeking transfer of a money laundering case against him from Lagos to Abuja.

Fani-Kayode, who was Chairman, Media and Publicity, of the 2015 PDP Campaign Organisation, standing joint trial alongside with a former Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman.

Others standing same joint trial are former National Chairman of the Association of Local Government in Nigeria (ALGON) Yusuf Danjuma, and a company, Jointrust Dimensions Ltd

They are charged by The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 17 counts of alleged N4.6billion money laundering.

They had however pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The accused were first arraigned on June 28, 2016 before Justice Muslim Hassan of same court,  but the judge withdrew from the suit on March 16, (this year) following alleged likelihood of bias by Fani-Kayode.

 The case was therefore, re-assigned to Justice Mohammed Aikawa and the accused were re-arraigned on the charges.

The trial judge, Justice Rilwan Aikawa in his ruling yesterday dismissed Fani-Kayode’s application, seeking transfer, for lacking in merit.

Contrary to arguments by Fani-Kayode’s lawyer, Mr. Norrison Quakers (SAN), that the cause of action leading to the case took place in Abuja, the judge observed that parts of the alleged illegal transactions by Fani-Kayode leading to the charge took place in Lagos.

Justice Aikawa noted, for instance, the allegation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that Fani-Kayode paid N30m cash to a printer, Olusegun Idowu, whose office is at Igbosere on Lagos Island.

Besides, the judge noted that based on Fani-Kayode’s request, the immediate-past Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, had earlier transferred the case from Justice Muslim Hassan of the same court, who was hearing it earlier, to the present judge, who is also in Lagos.

Justice Aikawa held that if the CJ had found merit in the reqguest to transfer the case from Lagos to Abuja, he would have done it after Justice Hassan withdrew from the casE rather than transfer it to another judge in Lagos.

Justice Aikawa said, “I am of the view that based on the facts and circumstances of this case, there is no justification for the transfer of this case to Abuja. The application lacks merit and is hereby dismissed.”

 

“The consequence of the alleged offence of money laundering is not limited to Abuja, but to the entire federation,” Oyedepo had said.