BY Bolanle Olabimtan
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is set to commence fresh proceedings against Femi Fani-Kayode, a former minister of aviation, over allegations of money laundering.
The anti-graft agency is expected to file the charges before a federal high court in Abuja.
The commission had previously arraigned Fani-Kayode and Nenadi Usman, a former minister of state for finance, on a 17-count charge in June 2016. Others listed as defendants in the case are Danjuma Yusuf and Joint Trust Dimensions Limited.
The defendants were alleged to have committed the offences between January and March 2015 in Lagos.
They were alleged to have, at various times, unlawfully retained over N4.6 billion which they “reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of unlawful acts of stealing and corruption”.
The matter passed before three judges of the federal high court in Lagos.
Although yet to be concluded by Daniel Osiagor, the judge before whom the defendants were re-arraigned, an appeal was filed challenging the jurisdiction of the court.
The appeal succeeded and the appellate court quashed the trial on April 20.
At the resumed session on Tuesday, Rotimi Oyedepo, EFCC counsel, said following the court of appeal’s judgment, the commission would need to refile the case in the Abuja jurisdiction.
Consequently, he applied for exhibits and documents tendered by the prosecution during the trial at the Lagos division.
Osiagor, the judge, granted the application and ordered the release of all exhibits and documents tendered before the court during the hearing of the case.
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