Court of Appeal dismisses Akala’s suit to stop EFCC

The Custodian April 16, 2014

The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan yesterday dismissed a suit filed by former governor of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, to quash the N11.5 billion suit filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Alao-Akala, Senator Hosea Agboola and a businessman, Mr Olufemi Babalola, had appealed the ruling delivered by Justice Akintunde Boade of the Oyo State High Court which held that they had a case to answer.

The Anti-graft Commission had arraigned the accused persons before the Court on an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy, contract awards without budgetary provisions and obtaining money by false pretence.

They had all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Delivering judgment, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, held that the preliminary objection by Alao-Akala was premature.

Dongban-Mensem held that Alao-Akala should have waited for the trial to go mid-way at the High Court before appealing.

She held that Alao-Akala did not provide enough evidence to warrant the court to quash the ruling of the lower court.

She then ordered Alao-Akala to return to the High Court for his trial.