Olakunle Oluomo, the speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, and two other individuals were remanded to the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday due to an alleged money laundering scheme involving N2.475 billion, according to a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State.
They were to be held for one week in the custody of the EFCC, according to Justice Daniel Osiagor’s order. He also stated that if they didn’t comply with the bail requirement, they would be held at the Nigerian Correctional Service.
The Speaker was charged by the EFCC on Tuesday with allegedly laundering N2.475 billion.
Oluomo was arraigned alongside three others, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo, and Adeyanju Amoke (all of whom are still at large), on 11 counts of conspiracy, forgery, stealing, and money laundering.
According to EFCC prosecuting attorney Rotimi Oyedepo, the defendants are accused of committing the crimes between 2019 and 2022.
He said the incident took place in Ogun State.
Oyedepo told the court that they allegedly stole the sum of N2.475bn from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly.
When the charge was read to the defendants, they pleaded not guilty.
When the matter came up for arraignment on Tuesday, Mr Kehinde Ogunwunmiju, SAN, appeared for the first defendant, Akinyemi Aremu, for the second defendant and Oluwole Aladedoye for the third defendant.
On September 1, the EFFC’s Lagos Head of Legal Monitoring Unit, Rotimi Oyedepo, filed the charge at the Federal High Court, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The Commission said it intended to call at least 10 witnesses to testify and tender documents and exhibits.
The list of the witnesses includes Adamu Usman Yusuf, Otitoju Moses Kolawale, Yazid Ahmad Bawa, Anyanwu Bright, Adekunbi Mojibola, Munkaila Huzaifa and Idowu Oluseyi Olarenwaju.
Others are representatives of Ashkash Nigeria limited, representatives of Obasanjo Holdings limited(managers of NNPC Mega Station) and representatives of Gateway Bank limited.
The Ogun State High Court had on Monday granted the application of the Commission for the case to be heard at the Federal High Court in Lagos by the vacation judge.
EFCC had earlier released the Speaker on bail. He, however, returned back to the Lagos office of the commission on Monday with other officials of the State House of Assembly, especially the clerk and accountant for further questioning.
The first defendant’s counsel, Ogunwunmiju SAN, informed the court that he had filed a bail application but was yet to be before the court.
While moving their applications for bail for the defendants, the first defendant’s counsel Igunwumiju (SAN), urged the court to grant the first defendant bail in liberal terms, adding that Oluomo voluntarily returned to the EFCC office in Lagos on Monday, after he was granted administrative bail last Friday.
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