A federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Wednesday, remanded the immediate past commissioner for Finance, under Abdulfatah Ahmed’s administration, Ademola Banu and one other in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ilorin Zonal office, pending the ruling on their bail application.
The anti-graft agency is prosecuting the former finance commissioner and two others for fraud-related offences after three separate adjournments earlier.
Banu is facing a one-count charge of conspiring with the banker, Olanrewaju Adeniyi, and his company, Travellers Messenger Limited, to launder the sum of N411m belonging to the Kwara State government.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges,but the counsel to the EFCC, Emeka Omewa, requested that they be remanded in prison custody till the trial date.
However, the defence counsel objected to the argument and expressed their readiness for trial immediately, referring the court to their bail applications, stating that the alleged offences are bailable and the defendants will not jump bail if granted.
Justice Babagana Ashigar ruled that the defendants be remanded in EFCC custody and adjourned till February 10, 2020 to rule on their bail applications.
