Full details of the fraud case against Ekiti state governor Ayodele Fayose has been disclosed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This was contained in an affidavit filed by the agency in response to a suit instituted by the governor at a Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti, seeking an order directing the EFCC to unblock his accounts.
The anti-graft commission disclosed that N1.21 billion out of N2.26 billion was paid to the account of Slyvan Mcnamara Limited.
An operative of the EFCC, Tosin Owobo, who deposed the written affidavit, told the court that Babajide, one of Obanikoro’s son was the principal signatory of an account registered in the name of a company -Sylvan Mcnamara limited.
He explained that former Minister Obanikoro conveyed the money himself to Akure, Ondo State, to Mr. Fayose.
He said in all, Mr Obanikoro, a former senator, conveyed N1, 219,490,000.00 through a chartered aircraft belonging to GYRO AIR Limited with registration number: HS125-800 5N-BMT.
Contrary to the claim by Fayose that the EFCC arbitrarily blocked his account without a valid court order, Owobo told the court that the commission got an interim order from Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos to “prevent further dissipation of proceed of crimes”.
He further argued that while the governor’s immunity against civil and criminal proceeding, the proceeds of an economic and financial crimes allegedly committed by him do not enjoy such privilege.
Meanwhile, the commission had stepped up its offensive against Fayose over alleged money laundering.
The anti-graft agency is now gearing up to seize buildings belonging to the Fayose which he allegedly acquired after he became governor on October 16, 2014. EFCC has disclosed that it had identified six of the properties tied to the governor with purchasing papers that were skilfully prepared to deceive security agencies.