FAYOSE GOVT SLAMS 19 COUNT CHARGE ON FAYEMI,OTHERS.

The report of the Justice Silas Oyewole Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Finances of Ekiti State during the administration of the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi as governor of Ekiti State has been presented barely two weeks after its set up, the State government has filed criminal charges of corruption against the minister and his erstwhile finance commissioner Mr kolawole.

The 19-count charge HAD/05c/2018, in which Fayemi and Kolawole were accused of stealing, abuse of office, criminal contempt, among others was filed before the State High Court, Ado Ekiti on Friday, January
26, 2018.

Fayemi and his Finance Commissioner were accused of misappropriating the sum of N4.9 billion being the proceeds of Ekiti State Bond for the sum of N20 billion earmarked in the Bond Prospectus for various projects in the State that were either not done or partly done.

While releasing the white paper on January 15, 2018, the government had directed that the state’s Ministry of Justice should institute appropriate legal action(s) against Fayemi and others adding that Fayemi and his Finance Commissioner should be made to account for the whereabouts of the fund allocated to projects in the N25 billion Bond Prospectus, which were either not executed or partly executed.

Count 12 of the criminal charge, which bordered on conspiracy to steal
and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code law, Cap C. 16
Laws of Ekiti State, 2010 reads; “That you Dr John Kayode Fayemi and
Mr Vincent Dapo Kolawole, while holding the offices of the Executive
Governor of Ekiti State of Nigeria and Commissioner for Finance
respectively, sometime between 2011 and 2014, within the jurisdiction
of this Honorable Court, conspired to steal the sum of
N2,750,000,000.00 (N2.75 billion) being the sum of money earmarked in
the Bond Prospectus titled; ‘Ekiti State Government of Nigeria, Offer
for Subscription of N20,000,000,000 (N20 billion). 14.5% Fixed rate
Bond Due 2018 Under the Ekiti State Government of Nigeria
N25,000,000,000.00 Bond Issuance Programme ‘ and released for the
construction of Ultra-Modern Market in Ekiti State, which you never
built; and thereby committed an offence.."

Also on the N25 billion bond, Fayemi and Kolawole were accused of
stealing the sum of N716,688,790.92 out of the N750 million earmarked
in the Bond Prospectus and released for the construction of Ekiti
State School of Agriculture out of which only N33.311,209.08 was
allegedly spent, N198,860,023.00 being outstanding fund from the N500
million earmarked in the Bond Prospectus and released for the
construction of Ekiti State Liaison Office in Lagos, out of which only
N301,139,977 was expended for the said construction.

Furthermore, out of the N767, 970,167.47 earmarked in the Bond
Prospectus and released for the renovation of Governor’s Office, only
N87, 622,912.25 was spent, leaving outstanding sum of N681,
347,255.22. For the renovation of Ado Ekiti Water Works, N335.5
million was earmarked and released while only N155, 523,558 was spent,
leaving outstanding sum of N197, 979,441.77 and N468.6 million
earmarked for construction of Ero Water Works, which was not done.

Fayemi and Kolawole were also charged with criminal contempt for
refusing to appear before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, an
offence punishable under Section 13 of the Commission of Inquiry Law,
Cap C. 10, Laws of Ekiti State, 2010, Section 126(2) of the Criminal
Code laws, Cap C. 16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2010 and Criminal Contempt
punishable under Section 133 of the same criminal code.