Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of a Federal High Court in Lagos, on Tuesday, struck out a N22.8 billion fraud case against a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu, and two other Air Force chiefs.
Justice Aneke set the former military officers free while delivering rulings on their separate applications, challenging the court’s jurisdiction to try them for the alleged fraud.
The court held that Amosu and his co-defendants, Air Vice Marshal Jacob Bola Adigun and Air Commodore Gbadebo Owodunni Olugbenga, could not be tried because they were serving officers of the military at the time the alleged crime was committed.
The defendants were first arraigned before Justice Mohammed Idris on June 29, 2016, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Companies named in the charge were Delfina Oil and Gas Ltd, Mcallan Oil And Gas Ltd, Hebron Housing and Properties Company Ltd, Trapezites BDC, Fonds and Pricey Ltd, Deegee Oil and Gas Ltd, Timsegg Investment Ltd and Solomon Health Care Ltd.
The EFCC accused them of conspiracy, stealing, money laundering, concealing of crime proceeds and converting funds belonging to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to their personal use around March 5, 2014, in Lagos.
They were also accused of concealing “proceeds of crime” and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 17(a).
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The case was later transferred to Justice Aneke after Justice Idris, now a Justice of the Supreme Court, was earlier elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2019.
Details Later…