Justice C.J. Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos has granted permission to a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, to travel abroad for further medical treatment.
Fayose is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for an alleged fraud of N2.2bn.
Justice Aneke permitted Fayose to travel abroad for treatment following an application by his lawyer, Ola Olanipekun (SAN).
The EFCC did not oppose Fayose’s application.
After granting the application, Justice Aneke ordered Fayose to be in court on the next adjourned dates of March 18 and 19, 2021.
Fayose is being prosecuted alongside a firm, Spotless Limited.
In the charges, the EFCC alleged, among others, that Fayose, on June 17, 2014, “took possession of the sum of N1, 219,000,000 to fund your 2014 gubernatorial campaign in Ekiti State, which you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing.”
The ex-governor was also alleged to have on the same day “received a cash payment of $5,000,000 from Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the then Minister of State for Defence, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 1 and 16(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16 (2)(b) of the same Act.”
The defendants pleaded not guilty.