Fayose walks free as court clears him of N2.2bn fraud charges

|By Adejumo Adekunle-

-Judge upholds no-case submission, blasts EFCC for weak evidence
-Former Ekiti governor granted leave for medical trip abroad

A Federal High Court in Lagos has discharged and acquitted former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, of all charges in the long-standing N2.2 billion money laundering trial brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In a decisive ruling delivered on Tuesday morning, the court upheld Fayose’s no-case submission, declaring that the EFCC had failed to establish a prima facie case that would require him to open a defence.

Fayose, who governed Ekiti State between 2014 and 2018, had been on trial for several years on allegations of money laundering and financial misappropriation during his time in office. However, the presiding judge found the prosecution’s case to be riddled with gaps and lacking in substance.

“The prosecution failed to link the defendant to the alleged crimes in a manner that warrants this court to call upon him to open his defence,” the court held, effectively ending the legal battle which had dragged through multiple hearings.

In a separate order earlier in the proceedings, the court granted Fayose permission to travel abroad for medical treatment, following a formal application by his legal team.

With this judgment, the embattled former governor walks away cleared of all allegations, dealing a major blow to the EFCC’s anti-corruption drive in high-profile political cases.