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Tag: former Minister of Aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode

  • Fani-Kayode, Odumakin sue EFCC for N20m over planned arrest

    A former Minister of Aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and Afenifere Renewal Group Publicity Secretary Yinka Odumakin have sued the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged plan to arrest them.

    They joined the State Security Services and the Police in the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

    The applicants, through their lawyer Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume (SAN), are praying the court to stop the respondents from arresting them over alleged false information they spread.

    They are demanding N20million “as damages for the unlawful threat to arrest the applicants”.

    Fani-Kayode had claimed that EFCC operatives surrounded Chief Justice Onnoghen’s home, while Odumakin shared a video to that effect. Fani-Kayode later retracted the publication, saying his sources misinformed him.

    The applicants are praying for a declaration that the respondents’ public declaration to arrest them on the basis of spreading false rumours is an infringement of their fundamental rights as enshrined in Section 34 (a), 35 (1) (4) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution.

    They said the threat to falsely imprison their liberty, safety, peace and security is a breach of their rights.

    Fani-Kayode and Odumakin prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from harassing, arresting or detaining them.

    They are praying for the enforcement of their fundamental rights and an order stopping the respondents from threatening them with unlawful arrest.

    The applicants prayed for an order compelling the respondents to tender an unreserved apology to them for the infringement of their fundamental rights and for “describing them in demeaning manners”.

    In a verifying affidavit in support of the application, the deponent Rev Emmanuel Olorunmagbe, said he was at the Online Publishers Association of Nigeria (OPAN) conference on Wednesday when EFCC’s spokesman Tony Oriade threatened to arrest the applicants.

    “He stated openly that while the first applicant tweeted that the EFCC wanted to arrest the CJN, the second applicant released a video on it, and that two of them will be invited and if they fail to turn up within 48 hours, they will be arrested,” the deponent said.

    The applicants said they and their families are living in fear  “as to what might happen if these respondents are not restrained by the honourable court, coupled with their state of health.”

    According to them, EFCC is biased and its invitation, which they said they have not received, “is a disguised plan to incarcerate them and thwart the cause of justice”.

  • Fani-kayode’s co-accused ‘slumps in bathroom’

    The Federal High Court in Lagos Wednesday heard that former Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) chairman Mr. Yusuf Danjuma slumped while having a bath and was hospitalised.

    He is on trial with former Minister of Aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and former Minister of State for Finance Senator Nenadi Usman for alleged money laundering involving about N4.6billion.

    Trial was billed to resume Wednesday, but Danjuma, a former Chairman of Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was absent.

    His lawyer K.C Nwofo told the court that he received a call in the early hours of Tuesday from Danjuma’s wife that the third defendant collapsed in the bathroom.

    He said the wife had called out neighbours in their Jere Kaduna home who joined in taking Danjuma to the hospital.

    Nwofo said since he was yet to get a copy of the hospital report, he did not know what Danjuma suffered from. He promised to make details of the diagnosis available to the court once he gets it.

    The court had at an earlier proceeding heard that Zenith Bank Plc did not consider transactions made by Fani-Kayode as unlawful.

    The bank’s Head of Ghana Street Branch in Abuja, Sheelis Gana, said the bank would have stopped the transactions had they been considered illegal.

    Gana testified that Fani-Kayode opened a personal account in January 2015 and that there several inflows into it, including various sums from Jointrust Dimentions’ account. Join trust is the fourth defendant.

    She said several transfers were made to other beneficiaries, and that cheques were written in Fani-Kayode’s name and were paid.

    He said 19 cheques were issued by Fani-Kayode on February 3, 2015, most of them for N10million.

    “The cheques were honoured by my bank. There were no complaints from the second defendant (Fani-Kayode) after the funds were drawn from the account,” he said.

    Gana said there was an instruction to transfer various sums into Fani-Kayode’s account, including N240million from Jointrust Dimentions, as well as N250million, among others.

    Justice Rilwan Aikawa adjourned until June 11 and 12 for continuation of trial.

    Read ALSO: Witness: Fani-Kayode made multiple cash withdrawals of N10m

  • Ex-Minister gets court’s nod to treat breast cancer abroad

    Ex-Minister gets court’s nod to treat breast cancer abroad

    The Federal High Court in Lagos Tuesday permitted former Finance Minister (state) Senator Nenadi Usman to treat herself abroad for breast cancer.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) re-arraigned her and former Minister of Aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode for alleged N4.6billion laundering and fraud.

    They were re-arraigned along with a former National Chairman of the Association of Local Government in Nigeria (ALGON) Yusuf Danjuma, and a company, Jointrust Dimensions Ltd.

    They pleaded not guilty to the 17-count charge of money laundering.

    Mrs Usman applied through her lawyer Chief Ferdinand Orbih (SAN) to the court to release her International Passport to enable her travel overseas on December 18 for cancer treatment.

    She said she wished to be away for 45 days, promising not to jump bail.

    EFCC’s lawyer Rotimi Oyedepo did not oppose the application. He said: “I will leave it to the court’s overriding discretion.”

    Justice Rilwan Aikawa granted the application and directed Usman to submit her International Passport to the court’s Deputy Registrar once she returns.

    According him, there would be dire consequences if she fails to comply with the directive.

    The court earlier admitted Fani-Kayode’s bank account statement in evidence.

    He dismissed the defendants’ objections that statement did not comply with Section 90 (1) (1)(1-iv) of the Evidence Act.

    The judge held that the prosecution complied with the section.

    Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Nenadi Esther Usman, Femi Fani-Kayode, Danjuman Yusuf And Jointrust Dimentions Nigeria Ltd on or about the 8th day of January, 2015, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to indirectly retain the sum of N1, 500, 000,000.00 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing.”

    The defendants were also accused of indirectly retaining N300million, N400million and N800million, all proceeds of corruption, according to EFCC, which added that the allegedly offence was committed between January 8 and March 25, 2015 ahead of the general election.

    Justice Aikawa adjourned until January 31, 2018.

  • Fani-Kayode challenges court’s jurisdiction to try him for ‘money laundering’

    Fani-Kayode challenges court’s jurisdiction to try him for ‘money laundering’

    …EFCC seeks to tender N30m cash receipts

     

    A former Minister of Aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode Wednesday asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to decline territorial jurisdiction in his trial for alleged money laundering.

    He prayed Justice Rilwan Aikawa to transfer the case to the court’s Abuja division where the alleged offence was committed.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) re-arraigned Fani-Kayode and former finance minister (state) Senator Nenadi Usman for alleged N4.6billion fraud.

    They pleaded not guilty to the 17-count charge of money laundering.

    The defendants were first arraigned last June 28 before Justice Muslim Hassan, but the judge recused himself on March 16 after Fani-Kayode accused him of likely bias.

    Justice Hassan was head of legal department at EFCC before his appointment as a judge and had overseen a previous money laundering charge against Fani-Kayode.

    The judge returned the case file to the Chief Judge, Justice Ibrahim Auta, who re-assigned it to Justice Aikawa.

    Fani-Kayode’s lawyer Mr Norrison Quakers (SAN) said the court lacked the jurisdiction to try the former minister in Lagos.

    According to him, the facts of the case show that all the transactions which the former minister carried out as Director of Media and Publicity of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, for which he was charged, took place in Abuja.

    Besides, he said the defendant stays in Abuja and has another trial currently going in Abuja in another case.

    But, EFCC’s lawyer Rotimi Oyedepo urged the court to refuse the application as, according to him, the transaction instruments “were recovered in Lagos.”

    “The consequence of the alleged offence of money laundering is not limited to Abuja, but the entire federation. All the instruments of transaction were brought by Zenith Bank in Lagos.

    “The financial institutions used in the transactions have their head offices in Lagos,” Oyedepo said, adding that 13 of the prosecution’s 17 witnesses live in Lagos.

    Oyedepo said Fani-Kayode also raised the issue of transfer before Justice Hassan, yet when the file was returned to the Chief Judge, he re-assigned the case to another judge in Lagos rather than one in Abuja.

    He argued that the CJ had already exercised his discretion on where the case should be heard by re-assigning it to a judge in Lagos.

    Before the application for transfer was moved, Oyedepo had sought to tender receipts showing that Fani-Kayode made a cash payment of N30million to the first prosecution witness, a media consultant, Adewumi Idowu.

    The receipts acknowledge cash payments of N24million and N6million.

    “The documents were made by the witness. He identified them as the receipts he issued. They are extremely relevant to the facts in issue.

    “The receipts form the crux of counts 16 and 17 of the charge. We seek to tender the documents,” Oyedepo said.

    But, Quakers objected on the basis that the documents were not the original copies.

    He said the prosecution did not satisfy the requirements of Section 88 (c) of the Evidence Act which requires that there must be evidence of a thorough search for an original document before a duplicate can be accepted.

    Justice Aikawa adjourned till September 26 and 27 for ruling and continuation of trial.

     

  • Judge knocks EFCC for re-arresting Fani-Kayode in court

    Judge knocks EFCC for re-arresting Fani-Kayode in court

    …Ex-Minister seeks case transfer to Abuja

     

    Justice Sule Hassan of the Federal High Court in Lagos Monday expressed displeasure with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for re-arresting former Minister of Aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode within the court premises.

    Fani-Kayode was arraigned along with former Minister of State for Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman on a 17-count charge of laundering about N4.6billion. They pleaded not guilty.

    They were charged along with former Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) and ex-Chairman of Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State Mr. Yusuf Danjuma and a company said to belong to him, Jointrust Dimentions Nigeria Limited.

    Justice Hassan granted them bail, but the commission’s agents re-arrested Fani-Kayode as he was stepping out of on October 21 when he came for trial.

    He was subsequently taken to the court’s Abuja Division where he was arraigned before Justice John Tsoho on fresh N26million fraud charge.

    When the case resumed before Justice Hassan in Lagos yesterday, Fani-Kayode was absent. His lawyer, Mr S. I. Balogun, told Justice Hassan that Fani-Kayode was in detention at Kuje Prison having not met his bail conditions.

    He said: “When he was arrested in Lagos, EFCC did not exhibit any arrest warrant. The team leader said he was acting on orders from above.

    “After his arraignment in Abuja, EFCC lied to the judge that it was through intelligence that Fani-Kayode was arrested and that he would jump bail. They never disclosed that he was arrested in court.

    “As at this morning, he has been transferred to Kuje Prison. His family and friends have been making efforts to perfect his bail. We condemn in strong terms the prosecution’s style.”

    Danjuma’s lawyer, Mr S. I. Ameh (SAN), said EFCC’s action was an affront on the court.

    “Most times they do these things because they get away with it. They should have produced him in court this morning to show that what they did was not deliberate,” he said.

    EFCC’s lawyer Oyedepo Rotimi said the case in Abuja had no connection with the one in Lagos.

    He said he was not aware that Fani-Kayode was rearrested within the court as he was attending to another case before another judge on the day of the incident.

    “My attention was not drawn to his arrest in court even though I was before another judge,” he said.

    He said Fani-Kayode was arrested “with a view to serving him with the charge and presenting him before Justice Tsoho for the purpose of his arraignment”.

    While Rotimi was speaking, the judge cut in and said: ” He (Fani-Kayode) was arrested in the court premises in flagrant disobedient of the order of this court and kept in detention for 21 days.”

    The judge went on: “In a civilised society, are you supposed to keep him in detention after he was granted bail?”

    When Rotimi said he was not part of Fani-Kayode’s re-arrest, Justice Hassan said: “Instead of defending what you don’t know, you should have simply said you were not privy to the facts of the case.”

    It was at this point that Rotimi apologised, saying: “In the unlikely event that your Lordship construes his arrest as disobedience to the order granting him bail, we apologise.”

    In a short ruling while adjourning the case, the judge said he would not make any further comments in order prejudice any application Fani-Kayode may file against his re-arrest.

    Usman’s lawyer Chief Ferdinand Orbih (SAN) said his client has a pending application praying the court to transfer the case to Abuja.

    “In summary, we’re saying the forum is not convenient,” he said.

    In the charge before Justice Hassan, Fani-Kayode and others were accused of indirectly retaining N300million, N400million and N800million, all proceeds of corruption. EFCC said they allegedly committed the offence between last January 8 and last March 25, 2015 ahead of last year’s general election.

    In another count, the prosecution alleged that Fani-Kayode directly retained N350million which he ought to have “reasonably known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing.”

    The commission said Fani-Kayode directly used the sum of N170million, among other sums, which he reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of corruption and stealing.

    He was also accused of doing cash transaction of N24million with Olubode Oke, said to still be at large, without going through a financial institution.

    The offence, EFCC said, violates sections 1(a) and 16(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2)(b).

    Justice Hassan adjourned until December 12 for trial.