Trial of a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, for N100m money laundering charges was stalled on Wednesday at a Federal High Court, Lagos, due to the absence of the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Festus Keyamo.
Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia was dissatisfied with the fact that the prosecuting counsel, who was said to be ill, failed to give the court a prior notification of his absence.
This came as a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who was in court, told the judge that he had joined the defence and that he would be leading the team as from the next proceedings.
Olanipekun is to take over from Mr. Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), who will remain a part of the defence team. Adedipe too was present at the Wednesday’s proceedings.
The judge said that having scheduled the continuation of the trial for Wednesday since March 19, Keyamo ought to have phoned the court to save the time of the court and defence lawyers who came from outside Lagos.
“Lawyers came outside the jurisdiction for the matter,” she said.
A counsel, Mr. Vitalis Ahaotu, from Keyamo’s law firm was in court, but he could not proceed with the matter, the court having ruled earlier that only Keyamo was competent to prosecute the case since he was the one who was given the fiat by the Attorney General of the Federation.
Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia adjourned the matter till May 14 and 15 for continuation of trial.
The judge had on March 19 adjourned the matter till Wednesday and Thursday. But with the latest adjournment, the proceedings scheduled for Thursday (today) had been cancelled.
The EFCC had through, Keyamo, on March 6, 2014, re-arraigned Fani-Kayode on 40 counts of money laundering.
Fani-Kayode, whose arraignment for the same charges was the fourth since they were first instituted against him in 2008, again, pleaded not guilty to all the 40 counts.
The re-arraignment before Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia on Thursday followed the amendment of the previous 47 counts of money laundering involving about N230 million.
The prosecution opened its case on March 10. The trial continued on March 19 and it was subsequently adjourned till Wednesday.
The offences were said to have contravened Section 15(1)(d) and punishable under section 15(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004.
Court scolds Keyamo for absence from Fani-Kayode’s trial
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