The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a former medical director of the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, Dr Olufemi Abiodun Omotosho, and four other suspects, Adebayo Sunday Dada; Yusuf Saka Olanrewaju; Ogunleye Samson Adeyemi and Azeez Dayo Kola, before Justice M. I. Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State, on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy and money laundering.
According to the spokesperson of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, the accused persons were docked for allegedly colluding to convert and launder the sum of N84,884,005 illegally obtained from the federal government.
The first accused person was said to have connived with the other four suspects to steal various sums of money belonging to the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, by using his position as the medical director of the institution through inflation of contracts, accounts manipulation and non-remittance of the institution’s account balances as mandated by the Central Bank of Nigeria on December 31 of each year.
The first accused person is already facing a corruption charge before Justice Lateef Lawal Akapo of the Lagos State High Court, for allegedly conniving with his lawyer to bribe operatives of the EFCC.
One of the charges read; “You, Dr Olufemi Abiodun Omotosho, Adebayo Sunday Dada, Yusuf Saka Olarenwaju, Ogunleye Samson Adeyemi, Azeez Dayo Kola, sometime in July 2013 at Owo, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did convert the sum of N22,641,164.92, property of the Federal Government of Nigeria, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of a crime with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said crime and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 15 of the Money Laundering ( Prohibition ) Act No. 11, 2011 (as amended)”.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The lawyer representing the 2nd and 5th defendants, Femi Emmanuel, as well as the lawyer representing the 3rd and 4th defendants, Dapo Agbede, both filed formal bail applications before the court. However, the lawyer representing the first defendant, Rotimi Olorunfemi, moved an oral bail application, praying the court to admit his client to bail.
Justice Sani adjourned the case to November 17, 2015 for the hearing of bail applications and ordered that the defendants be remanded in EFCC custody pending the determination of bail.
