An Ikeja Special Offences Court on Tuesday discharged and acquitted former minister of aviation Femi Fani-Kayode of charges related to the alleged forgery of medical reports.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had filed a 12-count charge against Mr Fani-Kayode on November 11, 2021. The charges included procuring documents by false pretences, using false documents, fabricating evidence and using fabricated evidence.
Fani-Kayode pleaded not guilty and subsequently filed a no-case submission after the EFCC concluded its case with evidence from seven witnesses.
Delivering her judgment on the no-case submission, Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe held that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the former minister. She ruled that there was no evidence linking Fani-Kayode to the alleged offences.
The judge noted that the prosecution did not produce associates who allegedly collected money from Fani-Kayode or the lawyer who reportedly conveyed the medical reports to the Federal High Court on his instructions.
“I have carefully studied the evidence of the prosecution witnesses and cannot find where the defendant committed the offences being alleged,” Justice Abike-Fadipe stated.
She added that the prosecution’s extrajudicial statements, which were presented as evidence, could not substantiate the charges against the defendant.
The judge ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a case that would require Fani-Kayode to open his defence and consequently discharged and acquitted him of all charges.
Regarding costs, the court left it to the defendant to pursue an action privately, if desired.
The EFCC had alleged that medical reports presented by Fani-Kayode as proof of his health status were falsified. The charges were said to contravene Sections 88(1), 365(3), 366, and 369 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Fani-Kayode maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and his no-case submission, filed on December 7, 2024, argued that the prosecution failed to establish the alleged offences.
