Alleged Money Laundering: Court Grants Ogun Speaker Leave To Travel For Medicals

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has granted permission to the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Olakunle Oluomo, and two others, to travel abroad for medical checkups.

Justice Nicholas Oweibo granted the order following a Motion Exparte application dated and filed on July 26, 2023, seeking the permission of the court to hear the application for leave to travel abroad for a medical checkup during the annual vacation.

His counsel moved the motion in court before the vacation judge, Justice Oweibo.

“The motion seeking to travel abroad have been served on the prosecution brought under Section 34 and 35 of the 1999 Constitution.

“The motion is supported with five grounds and 21 paragraphs affidavit, deposed to by the applicant, and attached to the affidavit are three exhibits, supported with a written address.

“We humbly urge my lord to grant the prayers,” the lawyer said.

The EFCC’s prosecution counsel Abbass Mohammed did not oppose the application.

In a short ruling, Justice Oweibo granted the application as prayed.

He said, “The unopposed application is hereby granted as prayed”.

Justice Oweibo then remitted the file back to Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital for trial.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had on September 6, 2022, arraigned Oluomo before the Court over an alleged N2.475bn money laundering.

Oluomo was arraigned alongside three others: Oladapo Samuel, Adeyemo Taiwo, and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) on 11 counts of conspiracy, forgery, stealing, and money laundering preferred against them by the EFCC.

The EFCC’s prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) had told the court that the defendants committed the alleged offences between 2019 and 2022.

He said that the incident took place in Ogun State.

Oyedepo told the court that they stole the sum of N2.475bn from the treasury of the Ogun State House of Assembly.

On September 1, 2022, the EFFC’s Lagos Head of Legal Monitoring Unit, Oyedepo, filed the charge at the Federal High Court, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The Commission said it intends to call at least 10 witnesses to testify and tender documents and exhibits.

The list of witnesses includes Adamu Usman Yusuf, Otitoju Moses Kolawale, Yazid Ahmad Bawa, Anyanwu Bright, Adekunbi Mojibola, Munkaila Huzaifa, and Idowu Oluseyi Olarenwaju.

Others are representatives of Ashkash Nigeria Limited, representatives of Obasanjo Holdings Limited (managers of NNPC Mega Station), and representatives of Gateway Bank Limited.

The defendants were arraigned before Justice Daniel Osiagor.

They pleaded not guilty to the charges.

However, Justice Osiagor granted Oluomo bail in the sum of N300m, with two sureties in like sum one of whom must not be less than a level 16 civil servant in the federal civil service.

While the 2nd and 3rd defendants were granted bail in the sum of N100m each with two sureties each in like sum, one of whom must not be less than level 14 in the civil service.

The judge ordered that all the sureties must possess landed properties within the court’s jurisdiction and titled documents are to be deposited with the court’s register.

“The sureties must also possess three years’ tax clearance certificates and swear to an affidavit of means.

“All defendants are to also Deposit their travel documents to the court registry.”

Justice Osiagor further ordered that the defendants be remanded in EFCC custody for a maximum of one week and must perfect all their bail conditions by then or else they will be transferred to the Nigerian Correctional facility at Abeokuta.

However, in the motion on notice dated and filed on July 26, 2023, Oluomo asked the court to grant him leave to travel for a medical check-up.