Former Governor of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala has has failed in his attempts to have the Appeal Court quash the N11.5bn corruption suit filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
EFCC had arraigned Alao-Akala; Senator Hosea Agboola, a commissioner during his administration; and a businessman, Olufemi Babalola before the court on an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy, award of contracts not provided for in the budget, obtaining money by false pretence, acquiring property by illegal means, and concealing ownership of such illegally-acquired property.
Although the accused all pleaded not guilty to the charges, Justice Akintunde Boade of the Oyo State High Court ruled on 12th December 2012 that they had a case to answer.
And delivering judgement on their appeal on Tuesday, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem described Alao-Akala’s preliminary objection as premature, saying he ought to have allowed the trial reach an advanced stage at the High Court before launching an appeal.
She held that the former governor failed to provide adequate evidence to necessitate the quashing of the High Court’s ruling, and therefore ordered him to return to the lower court to complete his trial.
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