Court adjourns corruption trial involving Ize-Iyamu, four others

A Federal High Court sitting in Benin City in Edo State has adjourned the money laundering trial against Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and four others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) till January 20, 2021.

Ize-Iyamu was the Edo State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2016 and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2020.

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The other four defendants are Lucky Imasuen, former deputy governor of Edo State; Chief Dan Orbih, former PDP chairman in Edo State; Tony Aziegbemi and Efe Erimuoghae.

At today’s sitting, counsel to the first defendant, Charles Edosomwan, SAN, informed the court that he has filed a motion challenging its jurisdiction on the grounds that the charge filed against the defendants are based on election matters.

According to him, the appropriate court to try electoral matter was the Magistrate Court or High Court of the state. The same argument was canvassed by the counsel to the other defendants.

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However, the prosecuting counsel, Francis A.Jirbo countered the argument with the submission that the information before the court is a money laundering charge for which the Federal High Court has exclusive jurisdiction..

After listening to both counsel, Justice M. G. Umar adjourned the case to January 20, 2021 for ruling.

Pastor Ize-Iyamu and other defendants were first arraigned before Justice P. I. Ajoku on an eight count charge bordering on money laundering on May 24, 2018.

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The defendants were alleged to have sometime in March 2015 in Benin City directly taken possession of the sum of seven hundred million ( N700, 000,000) without any contract award which sum was allegedly part of proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: fraud and corruption.

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