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Court orders remand of ex-Osun SSG, commissioner over N127m scam
From Seun Adeoye
(Osogbo)
IMMEDIATE past Secretary to the Osun State Government (SSG), Alhaji Sola Akinwumi and the Finance and Economic Development Commissioner, Chief Lere Adebayo were yesterday ordered remanded in prison over their alleged involvement in a N127 million contract scam.
Akinwumi and Adebayo, with one Lanre Oladeji, an architect, were arraigned before a Magistrate Court on a five-count charge by the police. The offences were allegedly committed between August 30, 2001 and May 2, 2003.
Police prosecutor, Emmanuel Obiakor, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said the three men whom ages range between 62 and 63, conspired to commit felony by stealing, thereby acting contrary to a punishable offence under Section 516A of the Criminal Code Cap. 34, laws of Osun State, 2003.
Obiakor further accused the three of tricking and inducing a bank manager to obtain N126,467,725.87, part of the money meant for the construction of Bola Ige house at a Abere, an offence contrary to Section 421, 388, 390(9), Cap 34.
Wale Afolabi, a former Speaker of the State House of Assembly who was the lawyer to both Akinwumi and Adebayo asked the court to grant his clients bail as they did not commit criminal offence.
Afolabi, who is also the state secretary of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), cited Section 118 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1, 2, 3, saying there are processes for bail as contained there-in "and I want the court to grant the accused who were indigenes bails."
Also, counsel to Oladeji, Bayo Alade said since the accused had pleaded not guilty to the offence, Section 35 sub-sections 6 of the 1999 Constitution stipulates that "the offence was bailable."
But police prosecutor kicked against the lawyers' plea, saying it took the police over six months "to gather the accused persons to be arraigned in the court."
He stressed that by allowing them to have access to bail, the accused persons may influence the witnesses and may allow them to have access to information on their case life "which may affect the on-going trial."
While ruling on the bail application, the magistrate, Jide Falola said although the offence was bailable, the amount involved is N127 million.
Former Governor, Chief Bisi Akande has been accused along with Akinwunmi and Adebayo of misappropriating the N127 million meant for the construction of the new governor's office by the incumbent governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
Akande, however, refused to be charged to the state Magistrate Court but instead preferred the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
The magistrate, however, ordered that the three accused persons be remanded at the Ilesa Federal Prisons until Monday, he also directed their lawyers to prepare a fresh application for bail.
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