FMC Owo, accused criminals arraigned by EFCC on HWN HIGHLIGHT

Dr. Olufemi Abiodun Omotosho, the former Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, in Ondo State ‎was arraigned yesterday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the Federal High Court in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Dr. Omotosho was arraigned with four other suspects: (1) Adebayo Sunday Dada; (2) Yusuf Saka Olarenwaju, (3) Ogunleye Samson Adeyemi, and (4) Azeez‎ Dayo Kola. The presiding judge, Justice M. I Sani, announced eight counts of conspiracy to offer gratification to a public officer, destruction of evidence, providing false information, and money laundering.

The accused persons were docked for allegedly colluding to divert and launder ‎the total sum of N84.8 million.

A SaharaReporters correspondent in Akure previously reported that the sum was illegally and falsely obtained from the Federal Government.

‎Our correspondent added that the court explained that the first accused person, Dr. Omotosho, conspired with the four suspects to steal funds from the FMC. Dr. Omotosho used his position as the Medical Director of FMC to inflate contracts, manipulate accounts, and failed to remit the hospital's balance as mandated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).  

The charges against the accused persons read in part, "that you Dr. Olufemi Abidoun 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 divert the sum of Twenty Two Million, Six Hundred and Forty-One Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty Four Naira, Ninety-Two Kobo, 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."

The five accused persons pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, our correspondent learned.

Rotimi Olorunfemi, counsel for Dr. Omotosho, moved for an oral bail application and implored the court to admit his client to bail.

Femi Emmanuel and Dapo Agbede, the legal counsel for the four remaining accused, filed similar bail applications.

However, Justice Sani adjourned the case to November 17th, 2015 for the hearing of bail applications and ordered that they should be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending the determination of bail.‎

In March it was reported that Dr. Omotosho and his lawyer, Ayodele Owoka, were facing a corruption charge before Justice Lateef Lawal Akapo of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja for conniving and offering gratification to the operatives of the EFCC.

Source: SR, HWN Africa.