* Photo Caption : Ex- Minister for FCT, Iloye Jumoke Akinjide
Story By Gbenga Ogunbufunmi
A former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Mrs. Jumoke Akinjide alongside a former senator, Ayo Adeseun and a Peoples Democratic Party chieftain (PDP), Olarenwaju Otiti, today asked thec Lagos Federal High Court, Lagos to strike out the alleged N650 million money laundering charges against them , for wants of jurisdiction.
The trio also asked the court to discharge them of the alleged crimes on the ground of jurisdiction.
The defendants are currently facing money laundering charge filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Chukwujekwu J. Aneke,
The defendants were first arraigned on January 16, 2018, before Justice Muslim Hassan on a 24-count charge to which they pleaded not guilty.
Following an application filed by the defendants, the case was transferred to Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke.E
EFCC accused the defendants of conspiring to take possession of N650 million crime proceeds.
The commission added that the defendants took possession of the sum without going through a financial institution.
At the resumed hearing of the matter today, the defendants’ legal team which comprises of Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), Mr. Michael Lana and A. Oladeji, in their separate applications, urged the court to quash the charges against their clients and to also discharge them.
The defence team said their applications is premised on the Supreme Court decision on Professor Sulaiman and Abdullahi Babalele.
They told the court that “issue is not where the alleged crimes was invistigated, but where it was committed. The alleged crimes was committed Ibadan not Lagos.
“I urged the court to strike out the amended charge and discharge the defendants accordingly”, each of the counsel separately urged the court.
Responding, EFCC counsel, Mr. U. U. Bihari who led Abbass Usman, urged the court to discountenance the defendants’ applications.
Buhari told the court that the charge which was initially filed at Ibadan, was transferred to Lagos at the instance of the defendants.
He said: “we wants the court to take judicial notice from the first date that the charge was filed in Ibadan, one of the defendants asked the court for transfer and the case file was transferred to another judge.
“When the matter was before another judge in Ibadan, they asked that the matter be transfer and it was transferred to Lagos division. Even, when the case was assigned to your learned brother Honourable Justice Hassan, they applied for transfer and the charge was transferred to this court.
“Their case is distinguishable from Professor Sulaiman or Babalele. The defendantw have resorted to ‘forum shopping’ and we urged the court to dismiss the application.
Buhari however, told the court that in case the court inclined to grant defendants’ application, the suit should not be strike out but transfered to Ibadan,where the alleged offences were committed.
Upon listened to the submission of parties, Justice Aneke adjourned the matter till March 3, for ruling.
