An Ikeja Special Offences Court on Tuesday duscharged and acquitted a media practitioner, Afolabi Nasir Ademola of conspiracy to commit money laundering charges, two years after he was arrested by the Econimic and Financial Crimes Comission(EFCC), arraigned and remanded in prison custody.
Also discharged by the court is a banker with First Bank Plc, Olorunwa Idowu. The court stated that the prosecution did no proved the case of conspiracy against the duo.
On October 12, 2020, Gavel International had published the story of Afolabi whose bid to send his son to school in Canada landed him in trouble. The story was titled: “Bid to secure Canadian Visa for son’s education lands man in trouble”.
The trial judge, Justice Mojisola Dada however sentenced the first accused person, Bamidele Abdul-Mumuni to seven years imprisonment after finding him guilty of fraud.
Justice Dada pointed out that although the act of the two defendants is immoral, the prosecutor failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that they connive with the convict to commit fraud.
The three defendants were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for defrauding Prof Gbadamosi Alaba of Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State, the sum of fourteen million naira.
They were arraigned on a 40-count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing.
Both Idowu and Nasiru pleaded not guilty while Abdulmumuni pleaded guilty
Following guilty plea by Abdul Mumuni, the court convicted him accordingly.
The EFCC counsel, Samuel Daji open trial of Nasiru and Idowu, called five witnesses to prove the commission case.
In his defence during trial, the bank customer Nasiru had told the court that his account with the bank, was used by the second defendant, Idowu who was the bank marketing officer that perpetrate the fraud without his knowledge.
When Idowu was also cross-examined, he told the court that he worked with the First Bank of Nigeria for over 10 years, admitted given out Nasiru’s account out to Abdul-Mumuni who is now a convict.
Idowu also confirmed to the court that he did not know the source of the money.
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