| The Daily Crucible | Friday, September 9, 2022
The Ogun State House of Assembly, Speaker, Rt Hon Taiwo Kunle Oluomo on Friday returned to his office within the Assembly complex, Okemosan, Abeokuta in high spirit after perfecting his bail conditions granted on Tuesday by a federal high court sitting in Lagos.
He was welcomed warmly by his colleagues.
Speaker Oluomo left the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) some hours ago.
He was remanded in the anti - graft agency's facility by the court since Tuesday until his bail conditions were sorted out by his lawyers.
The EFCC had arraigned him before Justice Daniel Osiagor in connection with alleged conspiracy, stealing and money laundering approximating N2.5bn.
Speaker Oluomo who was charged alongside the Clerk of the House and Accountant was granted bail of 300m in like sum.
He was expected to produce two sureties, one of them should own a property worth N300m in an area within the jurisdiction of the court and must not be less than a level 16 officer in the Civil Service.
The court also granted two others bail in the sum of N100m each with two sureties in like sum.
All the sureties must present up to date tax clearance while Oluomo and two other defendants were asked to deposit their travel documents with the Court Registrar.
OLuomo Replies Blackmailers, Says Court Will Decide His Fate
Speaker Kunle Oluomo says he is leaving his innocence to the court to decide, describing as "hyperbolic in nature," the petitions written against him by an aggrieved member of the House, which he claimed was reflected in the charges brought against him by the EFCC.
Oluomo who stated this today in a release he personally signed shortly after resuming at his Oke-Mosan office, noted that he was not the accounting officer of the Ogun Assembly.
According to the Speaker, "by law, I am not the Accounting Officer of the House, for emphasis, the House under my leadership operates only one bank account since 2019, through which running cost and allowances are paid directly into the bank accounts of individual Honourable members and staff of the House including the petitioner.
"I also like to say that the refusal to honour the initial invitation of EFCC was because of the method adopted by EFCC is against section 36 of the Constitution and we challenged it in court, this is in the public domain as it was widely reported but the EFCC refused to wait for the pronouncement in that case before taking further steps, despite having joined issues with us in court.
"I have always been disciplined and upright in my position, conducts and dealings with people, I shall continue to remain myself with truth and honour as my goal. I thank everyone that showed love and concern in the last few days. Thanks and God bless you all," he stated.
The Daily Crucible reports that Oluomo had earlier advised the anti - graft agency to charge him and three others to court if they had anything against them.
The Speaker told our reporter that he would have opportunity to clear himself in court.
He said the matter had to do with a petition written against him by an aggrieved member of the Ogun Assembly.
The EFCC reportedly filed about 11 count charge of conspiracy, forgery and stealing against Oluomo and three others.
The charge was filed by the EFFC’s Lagos Head of Legal Monitoring Unit, Rotimi Oyedepo at the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
A copy of the charge sheet dated and filed Sept 1st, 2022. Reads
Count 1 of the charge reads, “that you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) sometimes in 2019 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court conspired amongst yourselves to use the total sum of N2,475,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion, Four Hundred and Seventy Five Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18 (a), 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
The Commission plans says to assemble no fewer than 10 witnesses to testify and tender documents and exhibits.
The list of witnesses includes Adamu Usman Yusuf, Otitoju Moses Kolawale, Yazid Ahmad Bawa, Anyanwu Bright, Adekunbi Mojibola, Munkaila Huzaifa and Idowu Oluseyi Olarenwaju.
Others are representatives of Ashkash Nigeria limited, representatives of Obasanjo Holdings limited(managers of NNPC Mega Station) and representatives of Gateway Bank limited.
Find below details of the 11count charge.
COUNT 1
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) sometimes in 2019 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court conspired amongst yourselves to USE the total sum of N2,475,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion, Four Hundred and Seventy Five Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18 (a), 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT2
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) between June,2019 and June,2020 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court used the total sum of N900,000,000.00 (Nine Hundred Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT 3
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) between July,2020 and July,2021 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court used the total sum of N900,000,000.00 (Nine Hundred Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT 4
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) between August,2021 and December,2021 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court used the total sum of N375,000,000.00 (Three Hundred and Seventy Five Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT 5
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) between January,2022 and April,2022 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court used the total sum of N300,000,000.00 (Three Hundred Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT 6
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo or about the 12th day of September,2019 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court TRANSFERRED the sum of N2,000,000.00 (Two Million Naira) to BENGRAPHICS, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT 7
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo or about the 12th day of September,2019 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court TRANSFERRED the sum of N1,100,000.00 (One Million, One Hundred Thousand Naira) to BENGRAPHICS, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT 8
That you, Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) on or about the 22nd day of August, 2019 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently forged Ogun State of Nigeria General Claim Form with reference No: OGHA/4/AUG/2019 wherein you claimed that the sum of N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) was received by one Adewunmi Tunde and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
COUNT 9
That you, Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) on or about the 30th day of May, 2020 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently forged Ogun State of Nigeria General Claim Form with reference No: OGHA/11/MAY/2020 wherein you claimed that the sum of N30,250,000.00 (Thirty Million Two hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) was received by one ADESINA ABIMBOLA and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
COUNT 10
That you, Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) on or about the 21st day of January, 2019 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently forged Ogun State of Nigeria General Claim Form with reference No: OGHA/3/JAN/2019 wherein you claimed that the sum of N12,000,000.00 (Twelve Million Naira) was received by one BABATUNDE ABIOLA and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
COUNT 11
That you, Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) on or about the 26th day of January, 2019 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently forged Ogun State of Nigeria General Claim Form with reference No: OGHA/4/JAN/2019 wherein you claimed that the sum of N16,000,000.00 (Sixteen Million Naira) was received by one ADEBOWALE JAMIU and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
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