Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal
High Court, Lagos, on
Thursday failed to give judgment in the
money laundering trial involving a former
Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode,
due to the absence of the prosecution
counsel, Mr. Festus Keyamo.
The judge chose not to deliver the verdict in
Keyamo's absence, although the lawyer
was represented in court.
Fani-Kayode's lawyer, Chief Ifedayo Adedipe
(SAN), urged the judge to go on and deliver
the judgment since it was ready.
He said the law did not make it mandatory
that a prosecuting counsel must be present
before a judgment is delivered in a criminal
case.
The senior advocate said even if someone is
holding a watching brief for the prosecuting
counsel, the judgment could still be
delivered.
But Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia insisted that
she was more comfortable reading the
judgment in Keyamo's presence.
She stood the case down for 10 minutes to
enable the lawyer from Keyamo's
chambers, Mr. Festus Afeiyodion, to
confirm from his principal the day he would
be available.
About an hour later, Afeiyodion told the
judge that Keyamo requested for a short
stand-down to enable him come, as he was
handling another matter elsewhere.
"Mr. Keyamo asked that the matter be stood
down till 1.30pm. By then, he would be
through and be here personally. In the
alternative, he suggested that any other day
could be chosen and he will be here,"
Afeiyodion said.
Adedipe, after briefly conferring with Fani-
Kayode, said they would not mind waiting
till 1.30pm.
However, the judge said she would prefer
not to deliver the judgment under pressure
as the day would have been far gone by
that time.
Apparently to prove that the judgment was
indeed ready, she displayed a typewritten
material on her tablet, saying she prefers to
read it out at a convenient time.
Fani-Kayode was accused of making a
transaction exceeding N500, 000 on
September 20, 2006, which was not done
through a financial institution.
He was alleged to have accepted N2.1
million in cash, which was paid into his
personal bank account by his aide, Supo
Agbaje, while he served as Minister of
Culture and Tourism.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the
alleged offence which the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) said contravenes the Money
Laundering Act.