Alao-Akala Floors EFCC As Appeal Court Discharges Ex-Gov Of N11.5bn Fraud Case

The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan has discharged former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of charges leveled against him by the Economic and Financial crimes Commission.

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The appellate court, in a judgement delivered on Thursday, held that the EFCC failed to establish a prima facie case against Alao-Akala whose trial started after he left office in 2011.

Justice Jimi Bada who read the unanimous judgment said based on this, the appealant was discharged.

One of the aides of Alao-Akala when he was the governor, Hosea Agboola and a businessman, Femi Babalola, were also standing trial alongside the former governor.

Justice Muniru Owolabi of the Oyo State High Court, who presided over the case at the trial court had struck out eight of the 11 counts preffered against the ex-governor and others but he ordered the
defendants to enter defence on counts 1; 2 and 5.

Alao-Akala’s lead counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) had filed a no-case submission at the trial court but the court disallowed it.

The former governor headed for the appellate court and while delivering the judgment on Thursday, the Court of Appeal held that the prosecution failed to establish a prina facie case against Alao-Akala and others.

They were subsequently discharged of the case.