By Umar Bayo Abdulwahab
Ilorin
The absence of Presiding Judge, Olayinka Faji, at the Federal High Court, Ilorin, yesterday stalled the arraignment of Kwara state Commissioner for Information, Prince Tunji Moronfoye, and Special Assistant to the Governor on MDGS, Mr. Ope Saraki, over alleged N320 million scam by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The parties, including the suspects, were seated in the court before 9am and at exactly 9am, a court registrar came to announce that the court could not sit because the judge was absent.
No reason was given for the judge’s absence.
However, the cases were adjourned till April 23 as agreed by the court in consultation with the defence and prosecuting counsels.
The defence counsel, Dr. Joshua Olatoke, and counsel to the EFCC, Joseph Uzor, agreed with the new date, saying that the development was not strange.
The EFCC had in a statement said it would arraign the duo before a Federal High Court, Ilorin, for offences ranging from abuse of office, awarding contracts to cronies, embezzlement, diversion of public funds, and money laundering.
The commission alleged that Moronfoye had used his position as Special Adviser to former Governor Bukola Saraki on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to enrich himself.
Moronfoye allegedly awarded contracts to the tune of over N200 million for the renovation of Ijagbo Primary Health Centre and the supply of medical equipment to Health Centres and Specialist Hospitals within the state, to a company in which he has interest and was sole signatory to the account.
While Ope Saraki who is the special assistant to incumbent governor , Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and a cousin to the former Governor Olusla Saraki, was alleged to have misappropriated state funds for his personal benefit by awarding inflated contracts to companies owned by his cronies.
In one of the transactions involving the purchase of Ambulance buses for hospitals in the state, Saraki allegedly procured 13 Hiace buses from a local car dealer and converted them to ambulance in place of factory built ambulance for which a contract of N171, 990,000.00 was awarded to Chemiroy Nigeria Limited.