Fani-Kayode, whose re-arraignment was the third, again, pleaded not guilty to all the counts read to him before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia.
This came more than four years after his first arraignment for the same charges on December 23, 2008.
His first arraignment was before Justice Ramat Mohammed, whose transfer out of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court caused the re-assignment of the matter to Justice Binta Nyako.
The former minister was again in February 2012 re-arraigned before Nyako. The matter had proceeded to trial before the transfer of the judge out of Lagos later in the same year.
The matter started de novo (afresh) on Monday after the re-assignment of the case to Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia.
After the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges at the Monday proceedings, his lead counsel, Chief Ladi Williams (SAN), urged Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia, to grant him bail in the same “conditions and terms” he had earlier satisfied.
The judge granted the application after counsel representing the prosecution, Mr. Nelson Okedinachi, said he would not oppose the application.
Three other Senior Advocates of Nigeria along with Williams – Wale Babalakin, Wale Akoni and Ifedayo Adedipe – are leading other lawyers for the defence.
The former minister is standing trial for laundering various sums of money amounting to about N230m through his wife, Regina, daughter, Remilekun, and some of his aides between August 2006 and March 2007.
The accused person’s alleged offences are set to be contrary to the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004.
However, the judge and the prosecution lawyer differed on the competence of the charge after the arraignment of the accused.
Ofili-Ajumogobia said the charge needed amendment to conform to the new Money Laundering Act.
The judge said, “On the face of the charge, there is the need for you to amend it. I will not want to entertain any frivolous amendment in the future.
“I don’t know what you mean by the wife is at large. You know there is a new Money Laundering Act and you know the calibre of lawyers on the other side. So are you going to amend and put the accused person through one more but the last ordeal of re-arraignment?”
However, Okedinachi, representing, Mr. Festus Keyamo, at the proceedings, maintained that the charge was competent and that the prosecution had yet to contemplate amending the charge.
He said, “For now My Lord, we don’t have any plan to amend the charge. We believe the charge is competent.”
The judge then fixed March 11, 12 and 13, 2012 for trial.
Curled from Punch NEWSPAPERS