30th October, 2013
An oil marketer, Abdullahi Alao, has asked an Ikeja High Court to set aside its ruling which dismissed his application to quash the fuel subsidy fraud charge against him and four others.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Lateefat Okunnu had on 21 October dismissed the application for lacking merit.
Abdullahi, son of a prominent businessman, Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola-Alao, was charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He was charged alongside two other oil marketers, Olarenwaju Olalusi and Opeyemi Ajuyah, and their companies —Majope Investment Ltd. and Axenergy Ltd.
The defendants landed in court for allegedly obtaining N1.1 billion from the Federal Government for the purported importation of 15,000 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
During Wednesday’s proceedings, Alao’s counsel, Mr Oluwaseun Awonuga, told the court they had filed an application asking the court to set aside the ruling.
Awonuga said that the application had been served on the prosecution.
The EFCC counsel, Mr Francis Usani, admitted that the application was served on the prosecution on Tuesday, 29 October and that he needed time to respond.
NAN reports that the matter was adjourned till 26b November for hearing of the applications.