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Court remands two Osun former commissioners in custody
By Gbenga
Faturoti
Special Correspondent, Osogbo
The alleged N126 million Bola Ige House
contract scam levelled against Chief Adebisi Akande’s administration
re-echoed on Tuesday as former Secretary to Osun State Government, Chief Sola
Akinwumi, and former Commissioner for Finance, Chief Lere Adebayo, were ordered
to be remanded in the Federal Prison, Ilesa, by an Osogbo chief magistrate
court.
Also ordered to remain in prison custody
till next week Monday is the consultant handling the project, Architect Lanre
Oladeji. Indications however emerged Tuesday that the state government might
have dropped the case against the former chief executive, Chief Adebisi Akande.
The accused persons were docked on a
five-count charge of conspiracy to steal and stealing of government funds
contrary to and punishable under section 516A of the criminal code, cap 34,
laws of Osun state of Nigeria 2003.
The police prosecutor, Assistant
Commissioner of Police (ACP) Emmanuel Obiakor, told the court that the three
accused persons between August 30, 2000 and May 2, 2003 in Osogbo magisterial
district conspired to commit felony to wit stealing, thereby committed an
offence contrary to the law of the land.
Obiakor averred that the trio “did
steal the sum of N126,467,725.87, property of Osun State government and thereby
committed an offence contrary to section 388 and punishable under section
390(a) of the criminal code law, cap 34, laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2003.
He also told the court that they
“did conspire to defraud Osun state government of the sum, part of the
money meant for the construction of Bola Ige House at Abere and thereby
committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 422 of the
criminal code, cap 34”.
When the five-count charge was read to
them, the trio pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Counsels to the accused persons, Messrs
Wale Afolabi and Bayo Alade, asked the court to grant their clients bail since
the offence allegedly committed were bailable.
They also remarked that their clients
have served the state in a higher capacity and that their health at present are
not good enough.
Buttressing their points, the counsels
cited section 118 of the criminal procedure Act 1,2,3 added that there are
processes for bail as contained therein “and I want the court to grant
the accused who were eminent citizens of the state bail”.
They argued that it would be wrong to
order the accused persons to be remanded in prison custody “since their
offences are criminal ones and not capital”.
But Obiakor, objected to the bail on the
grounds that it took the police more than five months before the three accused
persons could be brought together.
He added that if the accused persons are
granted bail, they could influence witnesses to be called to testify in the
court when the case fully commences.
Obiakor pointed out that the defence
counsels have failed to produce medical papers on the state of health of the
accused.
In his ruling, the chief magistrate Jide
Falola said though the offence is bailable, he would refuse them bail because
of the amount involved. He however asked the defence counsels to begin the
process of fresh application for bail “and that pending the time the trio
should be remanded in custody till Monday”.
In his reaction to the prosecution, the
former Osun state governor, Chief Adebisi Akande said the development was a
face saving measure by the Oyinlola’s government to justify misrule.
Akande, who spoke through his personal
assistant, Mr. Lani Ajibade said that no amount of effort of Oyinlola’s
administration could tarnish Akande’s image.
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