You are here: HomeNews2023 01 23Article 623846

General News of Monday, 23 January 2023

Source: www.punchng.com

Judge’s illness stalls Ogun Speaker, EFCC fraud case

EFCC logo EFCC logo

The Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, failed to hear an alleged fraud case between the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, was reported to have been slightly indisposed and could not appear at the court room to hear the fraud case involving the speaker.

Our correspondent gathered that Oluomo arrived the court premises around 8:45 am, few minutes after lawyers of the EFCC had arrived.

Oluomo and the former Deputy Speaker, Dare Kadiri, left the court when the officials told them that the case had been adjourned till March 29 and 30, 2023, after waiting for more than one hour in the court.

Prior to the adjournment, the judge invited counsels to her chambers to brief them about the development, while picking convenient dates for the next adjournment.

This is the second time the court would be adjourning the case after it was transferred from Lagos to Ogun State.

The EFCC had in September 2022 arrested and later arraigned Oluomo for allegedly diverting N2.5 billion belonging to the Assembly, in suit no: FHC/AB/61C/2022.

Oluomo was arraigned alongside the Clerk of the House, Taiwo Adeyemo and the Director of Finance, Oladayo Samuel.

The commission had accused the speaker and others of forging receipts and signatures to divert billions of naira from the legislative house.

They were thereafter granted bail after pleading not guilty, even as they were asked to submit their travel documents at the court registry.