18th May, 2018
Adejoke Adeleye/Abeokuta
An Abeokuta High Court has dismissed the suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the former Minister of Works, Sen. Adeseye Ogunlewe, Prof. Olusola Oyewole and the Bursar of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Mr. Moses Ilesanmi.
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The court presided by Justice Olatokunbo Majekodunmi, also discharged and acquitted the trio in the fraud allegations brought by the anti-graft agency.
In his ruling, the presiding judge declared that the EFCC failed woefully in establishing a prima facie case against the accused persons.
The EFCC had in November 2016, arraigned Ogunlewe, Oyewole and Ilesanmi separately and jointly on an 18-count charge bordering on alleged stealing, abuse of office and fraudulent conversion of the university property.
Ogunlewe, who was formerly the Pro-Chancellor of the university and the two other principal officers were arrested by EFCC operatives following a petition by some concerned members of the university.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges and the court granted them bail.
Consequently, Ogunlewe resigned as the university’s Pro-Chancellor, citing personal reasons, while Oyewole bowed out on May 23, 2017 after completing his five-year tenure as vice chancellor of the university.
But delivering judgement on Thursday Justice Majekodunmi held that the EFCC failed to prove all the allegations against the accused persons.
The judge declared that all the evidence presented by the prosecution had been manifestly discredited through cross examination such that the court could not rely on them.
He dismissed the suit for lacking in merit.
Majekodunmi thereafter discharged and acquitted the accused persons.