UPDATE: Court Frees Justice Ademola, Wife Over Corruption

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Maitama, Abuja, on Wednesday struck out the 18-count charge preferred against Justice Adeniyi Ademola, his wife, Olabowale, and a lawyer, Joe Agi (SAN).
Justice Jude Okeke, in his ruling, upheld the no-case submission by the defendants, on the ground that the prosecution, led by Segun Jegede, had failed to substantiate its case against the accused.
The judge said the prosecutor had failed to show the accused judge had benefitted from the money paid to his wife’s account, just as the prosecutor team also failed to link the N30m Mrs Ademola received from Agi to any case being handled by her husband.
According to Justice Okeke, “None of the witnesses identified or tendered evidence to show that N30m was paid into any bank account of the 1st defendant either by the 2nd or the 3rd defendants”.
Justice Okeke, who noted he took cognisance of Agi’s statement to the Department of State Service (DSS) where he admitted that two of his clients directed him to pay the sum of N30m to Mrs Ademola as gift during her daughter’s wedding in April, 2015, said the lead investigator, (who testified as PW-16), could not establish any link between the monetary gift and any case that was handled by the 1st defendant.
“This court totally agrees with the PW-16 that taking the N30m gift to the 3rd defendant paid into the account of the 2nd defendant as bribe will be speculative and no court can convict based on speculation.
“A court of law reckons with hardcore evidence placed before it and not on speculation as to why the payments were made,” Justice Okeke said.
After reviewing all the evidence, the judge, in a verdict that lasted for about five hours, declared that the prosecution had failed to discharge the burden of proof placed upon it by the law. The judge discharged and acquitted the defendants.
The office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) had filed the suit late last year where it accused Justice Ademola and his wife for accepting gratification from Agi.
Mrs Ademola was accused of receiving N30 million in her GT Bank account on behalf of her husband, while Agi was accused of bribing the judge, including buying an N8.5million car, for his (the judge’s) son.