N800m fraud: Judge’s absence stalls trial of varsity VC, two others

THE trial of alleged misappropriation of N800 million against the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Prof. Olusola Oyewole, the ex-Chairman, Governing Council and Pro-Chancellor, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, and former Bursar, Mr. Moses Ilesanmi, could not commence on Friday.
The absence of the trial judge, Justice Olatokunbo Majekodunmi, stalled the commencement of the case being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Oyewole and the two former principal officials of FUNAAB.
They are facing 18-count charges of corruption bordering on misappropriation of university fund and abuse of office.
They were also accused of fraudulent conversion of government property and stealing, an allegation which has made Ogunlewe and Oyewole to refund N4 million and N2.5 million respectively.

GatewayMail learnt that the judge, who fixed Friday for the trial to commence when the accused persons appeared before her last November 25, was bereaved.
She had also fixed December 19 and 20 for the continuation of the trial, but the court registrar, however, said that the case would commence on Monday, December 19.
Meanwhile, the counsels present in court expressed their disappointment, because, according to them, they were fully prepared for the commencement of trial only to be told that the judge would not be in court.
Oyewole, Ogunlewe and Ilesanmi were dragged to court by the anti-graft agency when three staffers of the university forwarded a petition to the commission accusing the officers of massive looting of the university property and diversion of fund running into several millions of naira.
The workers, alongside 20 others – mainly members of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) – were sacked by the Governing Council in what observers believed was a vendetta step against the staff for exposing the alleged corruption.
© Gateway mail

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