Court of Appeal dismisses Alao-Akala’s bid to quash criminal charges

The Court of Appeal in Ibadan, Oyo State on Tuesday dismissed a suit filed by Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, a former governor of Oyo State, to quash the N11.5 billion suit filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Alao-Akala; Senator Hosea Agboola; and a business man, Olufemi Babalola, had appealed a December 12, 2012 ruling by Justice Akintunde Boade of the Oyo State High Court, which held that they had a case to answer.
The EFCC had arraigned the appellants before the Court on an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy, contract awards without budgetary provisions and obtaining by false pretence.
They accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Delivering judgment, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, held that the preliminary objection by Alao-Akala was premature.
Dongban-Mensem held that Alao-Akala should have waited for the trial to go midway at the High Court before appealing.
She held that Alao-Akala did not provide enough evidence to warrant the court to quash the ruling of the lower court.
The judge then ordered Alao-Akala to return to the High Court for his trial.