Justice Lateef Lawal – Akapo of the Lagos State High Court Ikeja has fixed December 21 for judgment on a $330,000 scam case involving a former registrar of a Lagos High Court, Rosulu Idowu Oluronke.
Justice Akapo, adjourned proceedings after the adoption of the final written addresses by the parties. EFCC’s counsel, Seidu Atteh, had called six witnesses and tendered 10 exhibits to prove the case.
Oluronke was charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretense.
The ex- court registrar was alleged to have collected a sum of $330,000 from former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Ishaya Bamaiy while he was an awaiting trial inmate at the Kirikiri maximum prison, Lagos.
In the case, the EFCC counsel Atteh is also relying on oral evidence made by Bamaiyi against Oluronke.
Bamaiyi had in his testimony before the court alleged that Oluronke aided a Lagos based lawyer, Fred Ajudua, in defrauding him of the sum of $330,000.
The money according to Bamaiyi was meant to be part payment for professional fees allegedly charged by legal icon, Afe Babalola to handle his trial for attempted murder of the late publisher of The Guardian, Alex Ibru and two others.
Bamaiyi said he met Ajudua and Alumile Adedeji a.k.a. Ade Bendel at Kirikiri maximum prison between November 2004 and June 2005.
But counsel to the defendant, Bamidele Ogundele, said expressed confidence about the innocence of his client.
He argued that there was no documentary evidence placed before the court and no identification parade of the alleged suspect was done.
“The constitutional power of prosecution to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt was not satisfied, adding that there was no fact that the defendant visited the prison to collect the alleged sum”, he said.
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