Court Admits EFCC’s Evidence, Adjourns Ex-Lagos Scholarship Board Boss Alleged N127m Fraud Trial Till Oct. 8
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, adjourned till October 8, 2021 further hearing in the trial of Stephen Oshinowo, a former Executive Secretary, Lagos State Scholarship Board, for an alleged N127m fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigned Oshinowo on July 2, 2020 on an amended eight-count charge bordering on criminal conversion to the tune of N127,000,000 (One Hundred and Twenty-Seven Million Naira only).
One of the counts reads: “That you, Stephen Oshinowo, sometime in 2018, in Lagos and within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, being a civil servant, dishonestly converted to the use of Oshinowo Adenike the total sum of N30 million (Thirty Million Naira), property of Lagos State Board.”
Another count reads: “That you, Stephen Oshinowo, between 8th day of February, 2016 and 30th day of December in Lagos and within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, being the Secretary of Lagos State Scholarship Board, dishonestly converted to your own use, through Julikam International Limited, the sum of N39, 934,919 (Thirty -Nine Million Nine Hundred and Thirty-Four Thousand Nine Hundred and Nineteen Naira) property of Lagos State Board.”
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, prompting the commencement of his trial.
However, when the prosecuting counsel, Abbas Muhammed, sought to tender the defendant’s confessional statements made to the EFCC during the course of the trial, the defence counsel, Lawal Pedro, SAN, raised objections, arguing that it was obtained under physical and emotional torture.
The objection prompted the need for the commencement of a trial-within-trial, which commenced on March 7, 2021 to test the voluntariness or otherwise of the statement made to the EFCC.
Delivering ruling today, Justice Taiwo overruled the objection and admitted the statements of the defendant made to the EFCC on November 29, 2019; December 7, 2019; December 9, 2019 and December 23, 2019 as exhibits G, G1, G2 and G3.
Thereafter, Justice Taiwo adjourned till October 8, 2021 for continuation of trial.
