THIS DAY
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Bamidele Oloyeloogun, before the state High Court in Akure, the state capital, over alleged fraud.
The arraignment marked the beginning of the official trial of the head of the state legislature.
Also arraigned before the court were the lawmaker representing Akoko South-West Constituency 2, Felemu Bankole, and a civil servant, Segun Oyadeyi Bankole.
They were alleged by Hon. Iroju Ogundeji, the ex-deputy speaker of the Assembly, of collecting and sharing the money for a seminar in Lagos that was slated for December 11 and 12, 2019, which they never attended.
According to the details in the document requesting for fund, “The seminar was aimed at institutional productivity, consciousness and excellence in service among workers and organisations in both public and private sectors, to accord workers and organisations the platform to achieve high productivity as well as giving impetus to the seminar in charting the pathway in revitalising the education sector.”
However, it was discovered that there was no such seminar organised, thereby the money released by the state Ministry of Finance amounting to N2.4million allegedly went to private pockets.
Thus, the Speaker, alongside others, was docked on two-count charged involving fraud, but they pleaded not guilty of the allegations level against them.
During the trial, the counsel to the EFCC, Kingsley Kudus, asked the court to remand the defendants at the Olokuta Correctional Facility, and even though they had pleaded not guilty, the defendants were still in the hands of the court while the trial continues.
