The trial of a former governor of Oyo State, Chief Rashidi Ladoja, over an alleged N4.7 billion fraud was stalled on Monday, due to the absence of the presiding judge Justice Mohammed Idris.
The judge was said to have gone on a one-day training organised for judges of the Federal High Court by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria.
The former governor of Oyo State is being tried alongside Waheed Akanbi, his Commissioner for Finance, on allegation of conspiring among themselves to siphon N4.7 billion from the coffers of Oyo State and launder same.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission accused the duo of converting a sum of N1,932,940,032.48, belonging to Oyo State to their personal use, using the Guaranty Trust Bank account of a company, Heritage Apartments Limited.
It also claimed that they retained the money sometime in 2007, despite their knowledge that it was proceeds of a criminal conduct.
Ladoja was also accused of removing a sum of £600,000 from the state coffers in 2007 and sent it to Bimpe Ladoja, who was at the time in London.
The EFCC also accused the former governor of converting N42 million belonging to the state to his own and subsequently used it to purchase an armoured Land Cruiser jeep.
Ladoja was equally accused of converting N728,600,000 and another N77,850,000 at separate times in 2007 to his own.
The EFCC also alleged that Ladoja transferred N77,850,000 to one Bistrum Investments, which he nominated to help him purchase a property named Quarter 361, Ibadan, Oyo State.
According to the EFCC, Ladoja and Akanbi acted contrary to sections 17(a) and 18(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and were liable to be punished under sections 14(1), 16(a) (b) and 18(2) of the same Act.
The accused persons were first arraigned in 2008 before Justice A.R. Mohammed.
Ladoja and Akanbi had challenged the competence of the charges against them all the way to the Supreme Court over a period of seven years, but the Supreme Court, however, struck out their appeal in 2015 on the grounds of incompetence.
This led to their re-arraignment on eight counts before Justice Idris on December 14, 2016, before who they both pleaded not guilty.
Opening its case, the EFCC had so far called two witnesses.
The case was subsequently adjourned to March 31 for continuation.
