By Abiola Olawale
The Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos State, has acquitted a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, of medical forgery charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The presiding judge, Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe ruled on Tuesday that the EFCC failed to establish a prima facie case against Fani-Kayode, leading to his acquittal on all counts related to the alleged forgery of medical reports.
This decision comes after a legal battle where Fani-Kayode was accused of using forged medical reports to justify his absence from court in another case.
The judge ruled: “The extrajudicial statements which remain, and are intended as evidence, cannot be used for any purpose other than to contradict the person who made the statement when he is in the witness box.
“I have carefully studied the evidence of the prosecution witnesses, and I cannot find where the defendant committed the offences being alleged.
“The prosecution has failed to establish a prima facie case which would require the defendant to open his defence.”
The New Diplomat reports that the EFCC had slammed a 12-count charge against the former minister, accusing him of utilizing fraudulent medical reports during legal proceedings.
The anti-corruption agency had maintained that the purported forged documents were submitted before the court in a lawsuit involving an alleged embezzlement scheme of a staggering N4.9 billion. lawsuit involving an alleged embezzlement scheme of a staggering N4.9 billion.
