The absence of Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke in the alleged money laundering trial of a former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, stalled the proceeding on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Justice Aneke was said to be on an official assignment.
The case has been adjourned until July 1 for the continuation of trial.
DAILY POST recalls that Fayose is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for alleged N6.9 billion fraud and money laundering.
He was first arraigned on October 22, 2018, before Justice Mojisola Olatotegun, alongside his company, Spotless Investment Ltd, on 11 counts bordering on fraud and money laundering offences.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail on October 24, 2018, in the sum of N50 million with sureties in like sum.
The defendant was re-arraigned before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on July 2, 2019, after the case was withdrawn from Justice Olatoregun, following the EFCC’s petition.
He had also pleaded not guilty to the charges and was allowed to continue on the earlier bail granted, while the case was adjourned for trial.
The anti-graft agency has since opened its case before Justice Aneke and is still leading witnesses in evidence.
According to the charge, on June 17, 2014, Fayose and one Abiodun Agbele were said to have taken possession of the sum of N1.2 billion for purposes of funding his gubernatorial election campaign in Ekiti, which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.
Fayose was alleged to have received a cash payment of $5 million from the then Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, without going through any financial institution.
He was also alleged to have used the sum of N200 million to acquire a property in Abuja, in the name of his elder sister Moji Oladeji, which sum he ought to know also forms crime proceeds.
The offences contravene the provisions of sections 15(1), 15 (2), 15 (3), 16(2)(b), 16 (d), and 18 (c) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011.