Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has been discharged and acquitted of all charges relating to money laundering and fraud after a six-year legal battle at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, delivering judgment on a no-case submission filed by Fayose’s defence team on Wednesday, ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the former governor.
Fayose and his company, Spotless Investment Limited, were first arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in October 2018 on an 11-count charge involving allegations of money laundering, theft, and fraud totalling ₦2.2 billion.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail in the sum of ₦50 million. The trial began before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun but was reassigned in 2019 to Justice Aneke following a petition by the EFCC.
The prosecution alleged that Fayose received ₦1.2 billion in June 2014 from then Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, to finance his governorship campaign in Ekiti State, knowing the funds were illicit in origin.
The EFCC also accused him of retaining ₦300 million in his personal account, acquiring multiple properties in Lagos and Abuja worth over ₦1.6 billion, and using associates and companies to conceal his beneficial ownership of the assets.
However, Fayose’s legal team, led by Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN) and Olalekan Ojo (SAN), urged the court to uphold their no-case submission, contending that the prosecution failed to directly connect their client to the alleged offences.
In his ruling, Justice Aneke agreed with the defence, stating that the evidence and testimony presented by the EFCC were insufficient to require the defendants to enter a defence.
“The prosecution has not sufficiently established a case requiring the defendants to open their defence. The court hereby discharges and acquits the defendants of all charges,” the judge declared.
Throughout the trial, the EFCC called approximately 20 witnesses and tendered several documents in an effort to support its case.