Plea bargain: Fani-Kayode, lawyer sing different tunes (updated)

Femi Fani-Kayode, former minister of aviation, and Ahmed Raji, his counsel, are not on the same page regarding a case involving him at the federal high court in Abuja.

On Monday, Raji had told the court to adjourn his client’s case to allow him to explore other options of settlement.

Raji made the application, saying since the money involved was “only N26m”, he believed that there were other options of settlement.

Raji also said he was new on the case, and that he would need some time to go over the facts of the matter to enable him to defend his client.

“My Lord, I am just coming into the case and so I crave your indulgence to enable me to familiarise myself with the case,” he said.

“Secondly, looking at the facts of the case and the money involved, I believe that there are other options we can explore.

“The case involves the sum of N26 million and the law allows you to explore the option of plea-bargain and so many other options rather than go through trial.”

He said if the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was amenable to plea bargain, the defence would take the option.

Johnson Ojogbane, counsel to the anti-graft agency, had said he was not opposing the application.

Ojogbane, however, told the court to take note that it was a second request of adjournment by the defence, and he asked for a definite date for the commencement of trial.

After listening to their submissions, John Tsoho, the judge, adjourned the matter to March 14 for the commencement of trial.

But in a statement late Monday, Fani-Kayode denied consenting to the deal.

“Reports that are coming out that Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has agreed to return 26 million naira to the EFCC in an attempt to settle his case at the Abuja Federal High Court out of court with them are false,” read a statement issued on Fani-Kayode’s behalf by Jude Ndukwe, his spokesman.

“The matter was adjourned in the Abuja Federal High Court today primarily because a new lawyer in the person of Mr. Ahmed Raji SAN was now handling the case and he needed time to be properly briefed on the matter and to go through the file.

“Under no circumstances will Chief Fani-Kayode pay any money back to EFCC or any other government agency because he never colllected any money from any government agency in the first place. The reports are false, embarrasing and mischevous.”

Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the EFCC before Tsoho on a five-count charge of money laundering.

He was accused of receiving N26m from the office of the former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki and using it for media campaign.

Count two of the charge reads;” That, You Femi Fani-Kayode, converted N26 million cash paid from the office of the National Security Adviser for the purpose of media campaign when you ought to have reasonably known that the said funds formed part of an unlawful act contrary to section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering Act.”

Fani-Kayode is also facing another 17 -count charge of money laundering before the Lagos division of the court.