Corruption: Court Frees Ex-Speaker, Lawmaker

Three years after being docked for corruption by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) an Akure High Court on Tuesday discharged and acquitted the immediate past Speaker of Ondo State of Assembly, Hon Bamidele David Oleyeloogun, and two others

Oleyeloogun, a lawmaker, Hon. Felemu-Gudu Bankole, and a civil servant, Segun Oyadeyi, were charged by the anti-graft agency with two counts bordering on conspiracy and conferring undue advantages on themselves using their offices.

However, the judgment delivered by Justice Adegboyega Adebusoye said the anti-graft agency was unable to prove the allegation of conspiracy and corruption against the lawmakers and the civil servant beyond reasonable doubt.

The EFCC had in charge AK/106C/2022 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 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.

The information filed by the EFCC alleged 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.

However, the defendants in the objection filed by their counsel, Mr. Femi Emodamori, asked the Court to decline to 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.

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

Emodamori said the charges involving the defendants involved a pittance of #2.440.000. 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.

In his verdict, Justice Adebusoye discredited the evidence of Ogundeji who was Prosecution Witness 1. He said the evil was given with malice as what he said in evidence in chief 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.

Also, 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 added 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.