Former Chief of Air Staff, Adesola Amosu
Breaking: Court frees ex-Air Chief, Amosun, 2 others of N21bn money laundering charge
Former Chief of Air Staff, Adesola Amosu, and two others have been freed of the N21 billion money laundering charge by Justice C. J. Aneke, of the Federal High Court, Lagos division, on Tuesday.
The presiding judge,Justice Aneke discharged the defendants of the N21bn fraud case preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on the ground that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case.
Consequently, the court declared arraignment and trial of the defendants on the alleged money laundering null and void.
The other two defendants who had been on trial alongside Amosun since November 13, 2018, are Air Vice Marshal Jacob Bola Adigun, a former Chief of Account and Budgeting, and Air Commodore Gbadebo Owodunni, a former Director of Finance and Budgeting on an amended 13-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N21bn.
The judge, who upheld the argument of the defendants’ lawyer, Norison Quakers, SAN, ruled that his court could not entertain the case since the three defendants were still serving military officers as at the time they were arraigned before the court.
Citing an Apppea Court decision in Jaffaru case, Justice Aneke said the instant law provides that as serving military officers, the defendants ought to have been tried first by the provisions of military court marshall.
About The Author
