Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.), and two
\nothers, who are facing prosecution by Economic and Financial Crimes
\nCommission, EFCC for an alleged N21billion fraud on Thursday, July 4,
\n2019, informed Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court,
\nsitting in Ikoyi, Lagos of their willingness to enter into a plea
\nbargain with the EFCC.<\/p>\n
Amosu, the first defendant is standing trial alongside Air Vice Marshall
\nJacobs Adigun, a former Chief of Accounts and Budgeting and Air
\nCommodore Gbadebo Owodunni, a former Director of Finance and Budget, in
\nthe Nigerian Air Force, NAF, both of who are second and third defendants
\nrespectively on an amended 13-count charge, bordering on conspiracy and
\nconversion to personal use of the sum of N21billion belonging to NAF.
\nThe defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.<\/p>\n
At today’s sitting, prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the
\ncourt that the defendants, through their lawyers, wrote the EFCC,
\nexpressing their willingness to enter into a plea bargain over their
\nalleged crimes. Oyedepo, however, expressed worry that the defendants
\nand their counsels have not shown commitment towards the plea bargain
\nthey requested and in the general resolution of the matter.<\/p>\n
“After receiving the letter from the defendants, indicating their
\nwillingness to enter into a plea bargain. I made several phone calls to
\nthe defence team as I was directed by the EFCC, urging them to come to
\nthe EFCC office for a meeting, but they have not shown up. So, it
\nappears to me that the defence and their clients are not committed
\ntowards the resolution of this matter,” Oyedepo told the court.<\/p>\n
He further stated that if the defence team refused to come for the
\nmeeting before the next adjourned date, the prosecution will have no
\nchoice than to continue with the trial.<\/p>\n
In his response, counsel to Amosu, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, told the
\ncourt that they did not honour the invitation to the meeting because the
\nCommission had not formally responded to their letter. Ayorinde noted
\nthat the EFCC only made an oral, rather than a formal invitation for the
\nmeeting.<\/p>\n
Counsel to AVM Adigun, the second defendant, Norrison Quarkers, SAN, and
\ncounsel to Owodunni, the third defendant aligned themselves with
\nAyorinde’s submission, insisting that the EFCC needed to respond to
\ntheir letter in writing, and further told the court of their willingness
\nto continue with the plea bargain with the Commission.<\/p>\n
Quarkers also brought before the court a “Motion on Notice” seeking the
\ntemporary release of the international passport of his client to allow
\nhim travel out of the country on medical grounds.<\/p>\n
Responding to the motion, Oyedepo told the court that the application
\nwas just served on the prosecution two days back and that he would need
\nample time to respond to it.<\/p>\n
Justice Aneke adjourned the case to October 9, 2019 for hearing of the
\napplication and continuation of trial.<\/p>\n
Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.), and two others, who are facing prosecution by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for an alleged N21billion fraud on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67511,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other-news"],"yoast_head":"\n