Legal luminary, Afe Babalola, SAN, has told a Lagos High Court that he never offered any legal representation to former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi.
Babalola’s submission was sequel to the trial of a Lagos Court Registrar, Rosulu Idowu Oluronke, who was accused of defrauding Bamaiyi of $300,000.
The legal icon said that he could not have received payment from either Fred Ajudua or Oluronke on the Bamaiyi’s case because he offered the retired army general no legal service.
A prosecution witness from Afe Babalola’s Chamber, Adebayo Olanipekun (SAN) told the court presided over by Justice Lawal Akapo, that the law firm never took a brief from General Bamaiyi and did not receive any money from Ajudua.
“Fred Ajudua did not brief our firm to represent him at any time and we did not receive any money from Fred Ajudua in respect of General Ishaya Bamaiyi. We did not represent Gen. Bamaiyi and we did not receive any money from Fred Ajudua,” he said.
General Bamayi had in his testimony before the court, identified Oluronke as the woman who collected $330,000 for onward delivery to his supposed counsel, Afe Babalola (SAN).
Justice Lawal Akapo adjourned the matter till May 13, 2015 for continuation of trial.
It would be recalled that Ajudua and the defendant, were initially arranged by EFCC before Justice Ipaye, but the second defendant who is a public servant requested for separation of the charges and expeditious trial.
Oluronke, a former registrar to Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences and obtaining money by false pretence.
The EFCC alleged that she helped Ajudua to funnel the money from Bamaiyi between
November 2004 and June 2005 while both of them were being remanded at Kirikiri Prison for separate offences.
EFCC, said Ajudua obtained the money from Bamaiyi by claiming that it represented the professional fees charged by Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) to handle his case.
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