Femi Fani-Kayode
The Ikeja special offences court in Lagos state has discharged and acquitted Femi Fani-Kayode, former minister of aviation, of 12 forgery-related charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ruling on Tuesday, Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe, the trial judge, said the prosecution failed to link Fani-Kayode with the alleged offences.
In December 2021, EFCC accused Fani-Kayode of forging a medical report to evade trial in another case.
The former minister was alleged to have hired Ogieva Oziegbe to produce the false document, which was presented at a federal high court in Ikoyi.
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Fani-Kayode pleaded not guilty and later filed a no-case submission after the prosecution presented its witnesses.
Delivering her verdict, Abike-Fadipe ruled that the EFCC had not provided enough evidence to prove the allegations.
“I have carefully studied the evidence of the prosecution witnesses and I cannot find where the defendant committed the alleged offences,” the judge ruled.
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“The prosecution has failed to establish a prima facie case that would require the defendant to open his defence.”
The judge consequently discharged and acquitted the defendant of the alleged offences.
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