The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) prosecute the former Minister of power and steal under the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, Olu Agunloye, for an alleged $6 billion for Mambilla hydroelectri power plant. EFCC asserted that it has power based on judicial precedents to procecute the former minister of power and steal.
Olu Agunloye has been charged with a seven – count charge base on forgery, disobedience of president order and corruption. The suit is marked FCT/HC/CR/617/22 is before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of an FCT high court in Apo, Abuja.
He was alleged to have, among others, on May 22, 2003, awarded a contract titled “Construction of 3,960-megawatt Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Station on build, operate and transfer basis to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited without any budgetary provision, approval and cash backing.
He is also allege to have received some suspicious payment made by Sunrise power and Transmission Company Limited.
However, Agunloye pleaded not guilty to the charged preferred against him. His counsel, Adeola Adedipe SAN, in the motion, argued that the anti-corruption commission lacks both investigative and prosecutorial powers to prosecute him on the current charge before the court. He had filled a preliminary motion on notice on February 8, 2024 with the number M/3736/2024.
EFCC insisted that despite the Former Minister’s submission, the EFCC has power to investigate and prosecute him. The commission averred that the law donates the power to investigate and prosecute the former minister to it.
According to the commission, the case of Nwobike vs FRN relied on by the defence to claim that it (EFCC) has no such power to prosecute him was quite different from the present case involving the former minister.
It added that the Nwobike’s case was filed before the Lagos State High Court for an attempt to pervert the cause of justice, an offence under the criminal law of Lagos State, while the Agunloye’s case borders on offences under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act and Penal Code.
Agunloye has alleged that EFCC is intimidating and harassing the two persons who stood as sureties for him after being granted bail by the court on January 11, 2024. The allegation is contained in his motion on notice, marked M/3797/2024, seeking an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the commission from further inviting, intimidating and harassing the current sureties currently standing for him, pending hearing and determination of the charge before the court.
Agunloye then stated that his sureties are now fearful and are beginning to contemplate withdrawing their surety ship for him and if they do so, he does not know where else he may be to get sureties who can meet up with the bail conditions.