The trial of Prof. Olusola Oyewole, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, (FUNAAB), the Pro-Chancellor, Sen. Adeseye Ogunlewe, and the Bursar, Moses Ilesanmi, charged with N409 million fraud is to start on Jan. 27, 2017, an Ogun State High Court ruled on Monday.
Justice Olatokunbo Majekodumi announced Jan. 27, Feb.9 and Feb. 10, 2017 respectively to determine if the court had the jurisdiction to entertain the case or not.
Wale Adesokan, Councel to the first accused, Ogunlewe, had brought an application seeking to strike out Ogunlewe’s name from the case, saying the court has no jurisdiction to hear the case.
But Benedict Ubi, Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) opposed the application, insisting that the court had jurisdiction to try the accused persons.
The trio of the vice-chancellor, the pro-chancellor and the bursar was arraigned on Nov. 25 on an 18-count charge bothering on stealing and fraudulent conversion of the institution’s funds totalling N409 million.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges and the court granted them bail in the sum of N50 million each with two sureties each in like sum.
Ogunlewe, a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain and former Works minister had shortly after his arraignment, announced his resignation of appointment as the institution’s Pro-Chancellor, citing personal reasons.
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