An Ondo State High Court, on Tuesday, acquitted the immediate past Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Bamidele Oloyeloogun, of corruption charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Oloyeloogun and two others, who have been on trial since 2022, were charged by the anti-graft agency with two counts bordering on conspiracy and conferring undue advantages on themselves using their offices.
In his judgement, Justice Adegboyega Adebusoye said the anti-graft agency was unable to prove the allegation of conspiracy and corruption against Oloyeloogun and two others, who include a lawmaker, Hon. Felemu-Gudu Bankole, and a top civil servant, Segun Oyadeyi, before the court.
The EFCC had in charge AK/106C/2022 alleged the trio of misappropriation of N2.4m belonging to the State Assembly, saying the fund was meant for a seminar the lawmakers and the civil servants were billed to attend.
The EFCC alleged that the fraud was committed in 2019 when the lawmakers were supposed to have attended a two-day seminar organised by the National Productivity Centre, Lagos.
According to the EFCC, the lawmakers requested funds to be released for four members of the Committee on Tertiary Education to attend the seminar scheduled for Wednesday, 11th, and Thursday, 12th December 2019.
The anti-graft agency alleged that those pencilled down to attend the seminar included the former Clerk, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ogundeji Iroju, the Chairman of the House Committee on Tertiary Education, and two members of the committee.
According to the details in the document requesting funds, “the seminar was aimed at institutional productivity, consciousness and excellence in service among workers and organisations in both public and private sectors, to accord workers and organisations the platform in achieving high productivity as well as giving impetus to the seminar in charting the pathway in revitalising the educational sector.”
However, the EFCC alleged that there was no such seminar organised, while the money released by the state Ministry of Finance, amounting to N2.4m, was diverted to private pockets.
But the defendants, in the objection filed by their counsel, Mr Femi Emodamori, asked the court to strike out the charges against them, saying the EFCC has no right to prosecute them.
The defendants maintained that the charge is flawed, defective and failed to be initiated in due compliance with the process of the law.
According to him, there was nothing to prove the charges of corruption against the defendants and said they should be discharged and acquitted.
Emodamori said the charges involving the defendants involved a pittance of N2.4m which belonged to the House of Assembly and was in the account of the Assembly, and said there was no evidence to show that the money was spent as alleged by the anti-corruption commission.
Justice Adebusoye, in his verdict, however, discredited the evidence of Ogundeji, who was the Prosecution Witness, saying the evidence was given with malice, noting that what was given in evidence contradicted his evidence in cross-examination.
Justice Adebusoye said the failure of the prosecution to call other lawmakers and civil servants who were supposed to attend the seminar is fatal to the case of the prosecution.
The court said there was no evidence that the fund in question was kept in the private account of the defendants, saying it has not been proved beyond reasonable doubt that the defendants used the advantages of their offices to corruptly enrich themselves.
The court, however, said that since the prosecution was unable to prove the ingredients of the conspiracy and confer an undue advantage on themselves, they were consequently discharged and acquitted.
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