Court rejects Fani-Kayode’s request for money laundering case transfer to Abuja

A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday threw out an application by a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-kayode seeking transfer of a money laundering case against him from Lagos to Abuja.

Fani-Kayode who was Chairman, Media and Publicity of the 2015 PDP Campaign Organisation, is standing joint trial alongside with a former Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman.

Others standing the same joint trial are former National Chairman of the Association of Local Government in Nigeria (ALGON) Yusuf Danjuma, and a company, Jointrust Dimensions Ltd.

They are charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 17 counts of alleged N4.6 billion money laundering.

They had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The accused were first arraigned on June 28, 2016 before Justice Muslim Hassan of same court, but the judge withdrew from the suit on March 16 this year following alleged likelihood of bias by Fani-Kayode.

In his ruling yesterday, the trial judge, Justice Rilwan Aikawa, said Fani-Kayode’s application for transfer lacked merit.

Contrary to arguments by Fani-Kayode’s lawyer, Mr. Norrison Quakers (SAN), that the cause of action leading to the case took place in Abuja, the judge said parts of the alleged illegal transactions by Fani-Kayode leading to the charge took place in Lagos.

He gave as example the allegation by the EFCC that Fani-Kayode paid N30 million to a printer, Olusegun Idowu, whose office is at Igbosere on Lagos Island.

Justice Aikawa said, “I am of the view that based on the facts and circumstances of this case, there is no justification for the transfer of this case to Abuja. The application lacks merit and is hereby dismissed.”