Alleged Corruption: Court fixes date for ex-Lagos Attorney-General’s trial

Olasupo Shasore

An Ikeja Special Offences Court on Friday fixed 6th December for the trial of the former Attorney-General of Lagos State, Olasupo Shasore, charged with corrupt offers to public officers.

Mr Shasore, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, served as the Attorney-General of Lagos State and the Commissioner for Justice during the tenure of Babatunde Fashola as the governor.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged the embattled senior lawyer with a two-count charge bordering on corrupt offers to public officers.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Following his not-guilty plea, the EFCC Counsel, Bala Sanga, SAN, requested a trial date to prove the allegation against the defendant.

The judge, Mojisola Dada, granted the defendant bail by releasing him to his counsel with a promise to undertake to present him at the next adjourned date.

Mrs Dada adjourned the case until 6 December for the commencement of trial.

Earlier, the prosecution alleged the defendant corruptly gave the sum of $100,000 to one Olufolakemi Adelore, the 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 ministry.

It was also alleged that the defendant corruptly gave the sum of $100,000 to one Ikechukwu Oguine, Secretary to the Cooperation and Coordinator, (NNPC) on account of the role he played in the arbitral proceedings instituted by P&ID against the ministry.

The defence counsel, led by Yemi Candide-Johnson (SAN), applied for his bail on liberal terms or self-recognizance, arguing that the defendant was not a flight risk and that the alleged offences were bailable.

The prosecution did not object to the bail application.

According to the prosecution, the offence contravenes the provisions of Section 9(1)(a)(b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2020.

(NAN)