The presiding Judge of the Federal High Court in Lagos,
Southwest Nigeria, Justice Daniel Osiagor on Wednesday fined former Minister of
Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode,N200,000 for his failure to appear in court to take
his plea in a case of alleged money laundering of N4.6 billion.
Justice Osiagor also threatened to revoke the bail of the
former Minister if he failed to appear in court the next adjourned date.
The protracted trial of the former Minister who is standing
trial alongside former Minister of Finance, Mrs Nenadi Esther Usman and the
former Chairman of ALGON, Danjuma Yusuf and a Limited liability Company,
Jointrust Dimensions Nigeria Limited, started sometime in 2016, when they were
first arraigned before Justice Sule Muslim Hassan, who was later elevated to
the Court of Appeal.
Before then, the case file was transferred to Justice Rilwan
Aikawa, on the ground that Justice Hassan, was formerly a legal officer with
the prosecuting agency (EFCC).
However, while the matter was pending before Justice Aikawa,
the defendants pleas were re-taken, thereafter, Justice Aikawa was transferred
to Akure division of the court, hence the case file was re-assigned to the new
Judge, Justice Daniel Osiagor, for the matter to start afresh.
At the resumed hearing of the matter today, the EFCC
prosecutor, Mrs. Bilikisu Buhari, informed the court that the matter was to
start afresh, but that Femi Fani-kayode, who is the second defendant was not in
court to take his plea.
The prosecutor, therefore, urged the court to revoke his
bail.
However, Fani-kayode’s counsel, F. B. Ajudua, pleaded with
the court not to revoke his bail, saying that a letter has been written on
behalf of his client, that he is currently on ‘bed rest’, at Kubwa General
Hospital, Abuja.
Ajudua also told the court that Fani-kayode, has been
attending his trial since the matter commenced in 2016, and that today was the
only day that he was not in court.
Ajudua, while apologizing for Fani-kayode’s absence, urged
the court not to revoke his bail, and also asked for a short adjounment.
However, Justice Osiagor, while perusing the Court’s
records, discovered that Fani-kayode had absented himself from the court for
five times, the development which the judge said has stalled the smooth trial
of the charge.
Consequently, Justice Osiagor, gave two options of either to
revoke his bail or a fine of N200, 000 and his counsel opted for the option of
fine.
Thereafter, Justice Osiagor, while adjourning till 30th
November 2021 fined the former Minister N200, 000. 00, which he ordered must be
paid before the next adjourned date.
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