2nd March, 2017
Akin Kuponiyi
Abdulahi Lawal, the first prosecution witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the trial of former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja on Thursday told a Federal high court Lagos, south west Nigeria that the total shares belonging to the state sold by Ladoja’s administration was N6.6b but N4.3b was declared.
Under cross examination the witness told the court that the summary of his evidence is based on the level of his investigation of the matter.
Another witness, Mr. Adewale Atanda, while being led in evidence by the EFCC prosecutor, O.O.N. Olabisi, told the court how Ladoja bought 22 vehicles for the state lawmakers to gain their loyalty in 2005.
Atanda, a lawyer, also told the court that out of the 22 vehicles bought by the former governor, only 14 was given to Ladoja’s loyalists in the state House of Assembly, while the remaining eight were shared among the former governor’s families.
Atanda, a political associate of Ladoja is the second witness to give evidence in the ongoing trial of Ladoja and a former Commissioner of Finance, Mr. Waheed Akanbi.
They were arraigned before the court on charges bordering on laundering of N4.7 billion.
In the charge, the EFCC alleged that both Senator Ladoja and the former Commissioner of Finance conspired to convert properties and resources derived from an illegal act, with the intention of concealing their illicit origin.
The two accused were re-arraigned on an 8-count charge of money laundering contrary to Section 17(a) and punishable under Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004.