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By Lizzy Chirkpi
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has discharged and acquitted former Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, of all charges in his prolonged money laundering trial instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Delivering its ruling, the court upheld Fayose’s no-case submission, stating that the EFCC had failed to present sufficient evidence to warrant him opening a defence.
“The prosecution failed to link the defendant to the alleged crimes in a manner that warrants this court to call upon him to open his defence,” the court declared.
Fayose, who governed Ekiti State from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2014 to 2018, was initially arraigned on October 22, 2018, alongside his company, Spotless Investment Limited, before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun. He faced an 11-count charge bordering on fraud and money laundering.
Among the allegations, the EFCC claimed that Fayose laundered N1.219 billion and received $5 million in cash from then-Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, to fund his 2014 gubernatorial campaign — all without passing through any financial institution, which violates provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
The prosecution also alleged that the funds were used to purchase high-end properties in Lagos and Abuja respectively.
Following a petition by the EFCC, the case was reassigned in 2019 to Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, who presided over the latter part of the trial. The anti-graft agency called 14 witnesses, including Obanikoro and bank officials, in its bid to prove the charges.
However, the court ultimately found the evidence lacking in substance.
Earlier in the trial, the court had granted Fayose permission to travel abroad for medical treatment after he filed a separate application.
With Tuesday’s ruling, Fayose walks free after nearly seven years of legal battle, which he consistently described as politically motivated.