A former governor of Oyo State, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, has failed in his bid to stop court proceedings in a case of N11.5billion fraud against him and two other persons.
Justice M. L. Owolabi of the Oyo State High Court 15 sitting in Iyaganku, Ibadan, refused and dismissed the application for stay of proceedings, pending the outcome of an appeal at the Supreme Court by Alao-Akala and the Chief Executive Officer of Pentagon Consults, Olufemi Ademola
Babalola.
In his ruling, Justice Owolabi said, “Stay of proceedings will do more damage to the case, which has been pending since 2011” and ordered the prosecution to assemble all its witnesses at the next date.
Alao-Akala, alongside a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Hosea Ayoola Agboola, and a contractor and Chief Executive Officer of Pentagon Consults, Mr. Olufemi Ademola Babalola, is standing trial on offences bearing on alleged criminal conspiracy and fraudulent practices to the tune of N11.5 billion.
They were earlier arraigned on an 11-count charge, but they all pleaded not guilty to each count of the information preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
However, after arraignment, their trial was stalled, following their applications to stay further proceedings/trial pending the determination of their appeals at the Supreme Court by counsel to the first and third defendants, A.O. Afolabi (SAN) and A. Ogunwole (SAN), respectively, and filed on April 9, 2018.
Their motions were, however, opposed by the prosecuting counsel, Dr. Ben Ubi, relying on his written submissions on points of law, urging the court to refuse the applications and rather order an accelerated hearing of the case in accordance with the spirit and intendment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Oyo State, 2016 and Section 19(2)(b) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004.
The case is, therefore, adjourned to June 29 and July 3, 2018 for trial.
