The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission filed 14 new charges against former Kwara State governor Abdulfattah Ahmed on Monday for alleged fraud totaling N5.78 billion before a Kwara State High Court.
Mr. Ademola Banu, the former commissioner of finance, was also charged before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar.
Both were accused of suspected diversion and theft of public monies intended for project completion and state security.
The former governor and his finance commissioner were re-arraigned after the EFCC withdrew the case from the Federal High Court in Ilorin, where they were previously on trial, due to the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, to another division.
On April 29, 2024, Abdulfatah and Banu were first brought before Justice Anyadike on a 12-count accusation of misappropriation of public funds, and they pled not guilty.
However, the presiding judge was transferred during the trial, so the case had to start over.
While the ex-governor’s name appeared in all 14 counts, Banu’s name did not appear in count 7, where only Ahmed was charged with failing to complete the assets declaration form provided to him by EFCC officers upon detention.
The offense violated Section 27(3)(c) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act No. 1 of 2004 and was punishable by a five-year prison sentence under the same Act.
Abdulfatah allegedly spent N1,610,730,500 meant for the state’s security administration to charter private jets through Travel Messengers Limited, in violation of Section 22(5) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and punishable under the same section.
