Corruption: Ondo Ex-Speaker, Lawmaker Know Fate

Justice Adegboyega Adebusoye of Ondo State High Court has adjourned for judgment the corruption charges levelled against former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon David Bamidele Oleyeloogun, and former lawmaker, Felemu-Gudu Bankole and a civil servant, Segun Oyadeyi.

The lawmakers and the civil servant were dragged to court by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on two count-charge bordering on corruption and conferring undue advantages on themselves.

The EFCC in charge AK/106C/2022 filed by the EFCC alleged the trio of misappropriation of 2.4 million naira belonging to the State Assembly. The fund was meant for a seminar, which the lawmakers and the civil servants were meant to attend.

The alleged fraud being prosecuted by the EFCC was said to have been committed in 2019, when the lawmakers were supposed to have attended a two-day seminar organized by the National Productivity Centre, Lagos.

In the information filed by the EFCC, was that the lawmakers requested for 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.

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 organizations in both public and private sectors, to accord workers and organizations the platform in achieving high productivity as well as giving impetus to the seminar in charting the pathway in revitalizing the Educational Sector.”

However, it was alleged that there was no such seminar organized, while the money released by the state Ministry of Finance, amounting to N2.4 million was alleged to have gone into private pockets.

But the defendants in the preliminary objection filed to the EFCC charges by their counsel, Mr Femi Emodamori asked the Court to decline Jurisdiction and strike out the charges against them because the EFCC has no right to prosecute them. The defendants said the charge is flawed, defective having not been initiated in due compliance with the process of the law.

At the resumed hearing of the charges on Monday, Counsel to the defendants, Emodamori, asked the court to dismiss the charges against the accused.

According to him, there was nothing to prove the charges against the defendants. He said they should be discharged and acquitted.

Emodamori said the charges involving the defendants involved a pittance of N2.440.000. He said the money belonged to the House of Assembly and in the account of the Assembly. He added there was no evidence to show that the money was spent as alleged by the anti-corruption commission.

But the Counsel to the EFCC, Mr TY Bello urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants on all the counts as the prosecution has proved his case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Bello said “We maintain that the evidence before the court and the exhibit proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The charge is about conferring undue advantages to themselves.

“The money was released and they kept the money. If there was no petition, they would have spent the money. They kept the money in cash. They refunded the money in cash. The argument is about conferring undue advantages on themselves.’

Justice Adebusoye, after the adoption of the written addresses, said the date of the judgment would be communicated to the parties before the end of the year.