The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday arraigned three persons before Justice J. O. Adeyeye of the Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti on a five-count charge of allegedly allowing the hotel to be used by fraudsters to send scam mails/documents and conspiracy to commit an offence contrary to sections 8 (a) (c) and 1(1) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006.
The three persons were Festus Olabode Ola, Omoebemile Olatunji Ezekiel and Friendly Hotels International Limited.
Counsel to EFCC, Kayode Oni, told the court that he had filed information before it and asked that the charges be read to the accused persons.
The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges when it was read to them.
Thereafter, Oni asked the court to remand the accused in prison and fix a date for trial.
K. Olowokere, counsel to the first accused person, told the court that he had filed an application for bail and that the prosecution had been served.
The same argument was canvassed by counsel to the second accused person.
However, Adeyeye said the application for bail was tactically defective and therefore asked the accused counsel to return to the court registry to mend the application.
Attempt by the defence counsel to withdraw the application for bail and move an oral application was vehemently opposed by the EFCC counsel, who stated that he was statutorily entitled to at least 48 hours to respond to their application.
Adeyeye also rejected the defence’s attempt to file an oral application for bail, noting that the accused counsel cannot be blowing hot and cold at the same time.
He adjourned to February 28 for hearing of the bail application while ordering that the accused persons be remanded in prison custody.