Babalakin out of dock

A Lagos High Court in Ikeja on Monday ruled that Chairman, Bi-Courtney Limited, Dr. Wale Babalakin, could stay out of the dock pending the hearing and determination of his application challenging the fraud charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo also granted similar indulgence to Babalakin's co-accused, Mr. Alex Okoh.

Babalakin, Okoh and three other firms, with whom they were charged, were to be re-arraigned after the matter was transferred from the former trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, to Justice Lawal-Akapo.

But Babalakin's counsel, Mr. Wale Akoni (SAN), argued on Monday that the arraignment should not be allowed to go on and that his client should be excused from entering the dock until the court decided on the preliminary objection he had filed challenging the competence of the charges.

EFCC had charged Babalakin, Okoh and their firms with 27 counts of conspiracy, retention of proceeds of a criminal conduct and corruptly conferring benefit on account of public action.

The firms that were charged along with the duo are Bi-Courtney Limited; Stabilini Visioni Limited and Renix Nigeria Limited.

All the accused were alleged to have illegally transferred N4.7bn on behalf of convicted former Delta State Governor, James Ibori.

Counsel for the accused persons had argued that given the separate notices of preliminary objection, which they had filed challenging the competence of the charges, the court ought "to dispense with the physical appearance" of the accused.

EFCC counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), had in reacting to the application, said since Babalakin was representing two of the accused firms – Bi-Courtney Ltd. and Stabilini Visioni Ltd. – there was no way his presence in the dock could be dispensed with.

In a ruling, Justice Lawal-Akapo granted the application, citing a decision of the Court of Appeal, delivered in June 2013 which held that an accused person, challenging the competence of the charges preferred against him or her, could stay away from court pending the determination of such application.

After Justice Lawal-Akapo delivered his ruling, Okoh's counsel, Mr. Olaniran Obele, urged the court to adopt the ruling for his client, a request that the court granted.

Comments

Floyd Mayweather Baby Mama Sues for $20 Mil ... He's a Despicable Liar

Floyd Mayweather could lose tens of millions of dollars from his big payday if his baby mama gets her way ... because she's just filed a lawsuit claiming he ruined her with lies to save his own ass. Josie Harris, who has 3 kids with Floyd, claims he lied through his teeth in an interview with Katie Couric just 2 weeks before the big fight ... when he claimed Josie was in a drug-fueled rage and he had to "restrain" her during their infamous 2010 domestic violence incident. Point of fact ... Floyd was convicted of domestic violence and spent two months in jail. Josie recounts her terror in the lawsuit, explaining how she and Floyd had broken up ... but he flew into a jealous rage that night, broke into her home and viciously attacked her while she was sleeping on her couch ... and her kids saw part of the beating. Harris says she is now labeled a drug addict thanks to Mayweather's lies -- and was embarrassed and humiliated on a global scale. Her lawyer, Dan Friedl...

Google Authenticator, a formidable layer of protection to your account.

Google Authenticator is a free security app that can protect your accounts against password theft. It's easy to set up and can be used in a process called two-factor authentication (2FA) offered on popular social media services like Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. The app ( iOS / Android ) generates a random code used to verify your identity when you're logging into various services. The code can technically be sent to your phone via text message every time— but the Google Authenticator app provides an extra level of security. SMS-based 2FA has a known security flaw , and any devoted hacker can attempt to socially engineer an attack against your phone company. The Google Authenticator app eliminates the possibility of an SMS-based attack using algorithms to generate the codes on your phone. Here's how to set it up: 1. Download Google Authenticator from either the Apple App Store or the Android Google Play store. It's free. 2. Nex...

Are You Treating Your Kids Like Your Career?

And, we see this all the time. Hey,listen I've heard evidence of this phenomenon at the hairdresser, nail salon, at high school softball games, or at the grocery store. Mothers move in closer to each other and start to talk to one other very seriously and very competitively about their kids' achievements, successes, activities but certainly not about their disappointments, feelings, or emotional concerns. Nope, those topics are reserved for the night when those parents are alone with both the darkness of the night and their concerns. Now these are kids they are talking about, not careers. I'll tell you though that it sounds a whole lot like they are talking about jobs and job advancement. And, these kids who are their current careers, in my opinion, are at risk to become highly anxious and stressed as they struggle not to let their parents down. Don't kid yourself parents — your kids are desperately afraid of failing you. Want to figure out if your child has beco...

Information is Wealth.

Search This Blog