Court Grants Fani Kayode Bail And Others

Fami Kayode

Daily post as well as The Punch reported that, Justice Muslim Hassan ordered the defendant to provide two sureties in like sum and also deposit his passport in the custody of the court pending the outcome of the case. The sureties were to be owners of landed properties within the court’s jurisdiction, which is Lagos state. ’s suit against

  The sureties in addition were to come with evidence of tax clearance in the state before the court Nemandi Usman, an ex finance minister and one Danjuma Yusuf, who were standing trial along with Fani-Kayode, were also granted bail. Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited, a company was joined as the 4th defendant in the trial. 

The accused were arraigned on Tuesday, June 28 before Justice Hassan on 17 counts bordering on conspiracy, unlawful retention of proceeds of theft and money laundering. The ex aviation minister was former President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign organisation spokesperson in the 2015 presidential elections. Fani-Kayode was accused of colluding with the others to directly and indirectly holding onto different amounts of money which the anti-graft agency said they simply should have known were proceeds of stolen funds. The PDP stalwart and others were said to have allegedly committed the offences between January 8, 2015 and March 25, 2015 in the build-up to the general elections.

In one of the counts, the anti-corruption body alleged that Fani-Kayode, who was listed as the 2nd defendant in the charge sheet, and his co-defendants colluded among themselves to “indirectly retain the sum of N1,500, 000,000.00, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing.

” The EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, had told the court that the said conspiracy and indirect retention of the N1.5billion amount to an offence under Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012, punishable under Section 15(3)( 4) of the same Act. In the other count, the anti-graft agency alleged that the former aviation minister “directly retained the sum of N350m,” which the anti-graft agency claimed that he ought to have “reasonably known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing.

” The former spokesman of the PDP presidential campaign committee was accused of directly using parts of the money at various times, including between March 20 and 25, 2015, when he allegedly used N250,650,000.00 out of the money. Fani-Kayode was likewise accused of making a cash transaction of N24m with one Olubode Oke, said to still be at large, on February 12, 2015 “to Paste Poster Co of 125, Lewis Street, Lagos Island.

” Fani-Kayode and Oke were said to have made the transaction without going through any financial institution, an act the EFCC claimed was contrary to sections 1(a) and 16(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act. But the four defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. The EFCC has, however, listed 17 witnesses it intends to call during trial to substantiate its allegations. Justice Hassan adjourned till October 19, 2016 for the prosecution to open its case. See photos below: