EFCC charges Fayose, hotel with N1.3bn fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has filed corruption charges against a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, and his hotel, Spotless Investment Limited

It was learnt that the EFCC filed the charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Fayose is accused of receiving about N1.3bn when he “ought to have known that the said fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), the then National Security Adviser, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended in 2012) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.”

The former governor was accused of sending his aide, Abiodun Agbele, to receive about N1.3bn from a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, sometime in June 2014.

The money was said to have emanated from Dasuki’s office.

According to the EFCC, the N1.3bn was flown to Akure Airport and Obanikoro handed over the money to Agbele, who is also standing trial for corruption.

The EFCC said officials of Zenith Bank arrived at the Akure Airport tarmac in a bullion van to convey all the cash to the bank’s vault located at 13, Alagbaka Estate, Akure.

Attached as evidence are bank tellers Agbele allegedly gave as bank instructions at different times to pay in money into Fayose’s Zenith Bank account even after the elections.

According to the commission, Agbele directed the bank to pay N137m into the account of Ayodele Fayose with number 1003126654 and Bank Verification Number 22338867502. The bank teller dated June 26, 2014, was filled by Agbele with teller number 0556814.

Agbele also allegedly directed the bank to transfer N118,760,000 to the same account and paid in N50m cash into Fayose’s account.

The commission said on April 7, 2015, several months later, Fayose personally moved N300m to his fixed deposit account at Zenith Bank with number 9013074033.

According to the anti-graft agency, on the instruction of Fayose, Agbele deposited N100m to the account of Spotless Investment Limited, a hotel which is owned by Fayose and his wife, Olayemi.

Fayose allegedly used part of the money to buy houses in Abuja and Lagos. The houses have since been seized while his bank accounts with a balance of N380m have been frozen.

No date has been fixed for hearing.