Fani-Kayode re-arraigned by EFCC

from www.tribune.com.ng

Femi Fani-Kayode

A former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, was, on Thursday, re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 47-count charge of money laundering before Justice Binta Murtala Nyako of a Federal High Court in Lagos.

Fani-Kayode’s re-arraignment was occasioned by the re-assignment of the case by the chief judge to a new judge owing to the transfer of Justice Ramat Mohammed who was earlier handling the case.

The accused had earlier been arraigned on a similar charge before Justice Mohammed sometimes in December, 2008.


During Thursday’s proceedings, counsel for the accused, Chief Ladi Williams,  had urged the court to adjourn the matter till after May 21, 2012 when according to him, a motion seeking a stay of proceedings at the trial court which is pending before the Supreme Court will be heard.

He told the court that an interlocutory appeal against the decision of the Lagos Division of the Appeal Court which admitted the statement of account of the accused as evidence had been entered at the Supreme Court.

Chief Williams was also opposed to the re-arraignment of the accused on the premise that the judges of the appeal court, while admitting his client’s statement of account as evidence, did not order for a fresh trial.

But the request was opposed by the prosecution counsel, Festus Afeiyodian, on the ground that the re-assignment of the case had rendered the interlocutory appeal lodged at the Supreme Court an academic exercise.

He argued that there was no proof that the said interlocutory appeal had been entered at the Supreme Court.

Upon his re-arraignment, the accused pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was thereafter granted bail by the presiding judge.