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Court Slams Fani Kayode N200,000 Fine, Threatens To Revoke His Bail
The Federal Excessive Courtroom sitting in Lagos has ordered a former Minister Of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, to pay a tremendous of N200,000 for being absent at his re-arraignment or stand the danger of getting his bail revoked.
Justice Daniel Osaigor gave the order on Wednesday, saying that having gone via the court docket’s file, he noticed 5 totally different letters by the defendant searching for adjournment on the identical medical grounds.
The Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC) had charged Fani-Kayode alongside a former Minister of State for Finance, Nenandi Usman, one Danjuma Yusuf, a former Chairman of ALGON, and a restricted legal responsibility firm, Jointrust Dimensions Nigeria Restricted.
The EFCC most well-liked 17 counts of cash laundering to the tune of N4.6 billion in opposition to them earlier than Justice Mohammed Aikawa who was initially the trial choose till he was transferred out of the Lagos Jurisdiction.
All of them, nonetheless, pleaded not responsible to the costs and have been granted bail.
The case was subsequently, assigned to a brand new choose, Justice Osaigor, and the defendants have been scheduled for re-arraignment on Wednesday (October 13).
When the case was referred to as, Mrs Bilikisu Buhari introduced the looks for the prosecution.
The prosecutor instructed the court docket that on July 15, the prosecution had moved the court docket to adjourn the matter for a re-arraignment of the defendants.
She mentioned that on October 11, the prosecution obtained a letter from the second defendant informing them that he had been given mattress relaxation.
The prosecutor instructed the court docket that these letters by the second defendant had turn out to be quite a few and had additionally turn out to be an excuse for him to evade court docket.
“That is the third time he might be writing the sort of letter from the identical hospital
“Each time he doesn’t need to attend court docket, that is the kind of letter we get,” she mentioned.
However, Fani-Kayode’s counsel, Bobo Fred-Ajudua, minimize in and knowledgeable the court docket that though Fani-Kayode’s sickness was a recurring one, he had attended court docket recurrently, and this may be proven from the court docket’s data.
He urged the court docket to kindly grant an adjournment in favour of the second defendant.
At this level, the trial judge, determined to undergo the court docket’s file, and after looking out, the court docket found that the second defendant had truly sought comparable medical excuse 5 occasions.
The court docket then requested the defence counsel to take one in all two choices which have been: to both revoke the bail of the second defendant or to impose a tremendous of N200,000 to be paid earlier than the following trial date.
The defence counsel selected the latter possibility.
