Shasore Seeks Adjournment to Defend Alleged $200,000 Corrupt Offer

Former Lagos State Attorney-General Olasupo Shasore (SAN), yesterday sought an adjournment of his trial at an Ikeja Special Offences Court.

The adjournment was to enable him obtain more documents to prove his case in the alleged charge of $200,000 corrupt offer brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Shasore made the request through his counsel, Chijioke Okoli (SAN), during resumed trial before Justice Mojisola Dada.

Justice Dada granted his application and fixed April 4, 2023 for trial.

Earlier while moving the application, Okoli told the court that the defence had filed an application dated December 2, seeking an adjournment.

He told the court that the defence needed more documents from the prosecution.

Responding, EFCC counsel, Bala Sanga, informed the court that he was ready to proceed with the trial as earlier scheduled by the court.

Sanga, however, confirmed the receipt of the defence application for adjournment.

“I will not object as long as the defence accepts that the adjournment is at their instance.

“My lord, on the request of the defence for more documents, I want to inform the court that this is one case out of about 103 cases on investigations going on around Process and Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID).

“At the moment, there are roughly at least 21 ongoing criminal trials and what this means is that apart from the trials, we have 153 files, with volume of papers running up to more than 30,000.

“We can only volunteer to give them what we can; because the law says what requires is proof of evidence not proof of defence. We are more than happy to oblige them with documents that are relevant,” he said.

According to the prosecution, the defendant allegedly gave $100,000  to Mrs. Olufolakemi Adelore (then Director, Legal, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources) on account of the role she played in the arbitral proceedings instituted by Process and Industrial Developments Ltd (P&ID) against the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

The prosecution also submitted that the defendant allegedly gave another $100,000 to Mr. Ikechukwu Oguine (Secretary to the Corporation and Coordinator, Legal Services, (NNPC) on account of the role he played in the arbitral proceedings instituted by Process and Industrial Developments Ltd (P&ID) against the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

The EFCC said the offence was contrary to and punishable under Section 9(1) (a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

The EFCC on October 21, 2022 arraigned Shasore on a two-count charge bordering on corrupt offers.

He pleaded not guilty.