The Court of Appeal in Ibadan on Tuesday dismissed a suit filed by former Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala to quash the N11.5 billion suit filed against him by the EFCC.
Alao-Akala, Sen. Hosea Agboola, and a business man, Olufemi Babalola, had appealed a Dec. 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.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Delivering judgment, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, held that the preliminary objection by Alao-Akala was premature, adding that he should have waited for the trial to go mid-way 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 and subsequently ordered Alao-Akala to return to the High Court for his trial.
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