A front line governorship aspirant under the ruling APC in the September 2020 poll, Osagie Ize-Iyamu may be spending as much time in the courts as he spends in the campaign grounds in the weeks ahead after a federal high court in Benin validated the money laundering case brought against him by the EFCC.
The APC aspirant who ran under the PDP in 2016 is believed to have received the blessing of the former governor of the state and now-suspended national chairman of the ruling party, Adams Oshiomhole.
Listed as co-defendants in the suit are Lucky Imasuen, former deputy governor of Edo; Dan Orbih, the state PDP chairman; Tony Aziegbemi and Efe Erimuoghae.
Ize-Iyamu and the other defendants were first arraigned on an eight-count charge bordering on money laundering in May 2018.
The principal suspect and his co-accused are alleged to have, sometime in March 2015, “directly taken possession of the sum of N700,000,000.00 (seven hundred million) without any contract award”.
The money was alleged to be part of the proceeds of “an unlawful act”.
At the sitting on Thursday, Francis Jibro, prosecution counsel, told the court that the matter was for ruling on the competence of the charges preferred against the defendants.
M.G. Umar, the presiding judge, ruled that the charges filed by the EFCC against the defendants “were not defective”.
The defendants had, at the last sitting, challenged the charges on the ground that they contained the name of Tony Anenih, a founding member of the PDP, who is now deceased.
After the ruling, Charles Edosomwan, counsel to the first defendant, told the court that he has filed a motion challenging the jurisdiction of the court.
“In spite of the ruling, we have a motion dated June 1, 2020, challenging the jurisdiction of this honourable court to entertain proceedings,” he said.
However, the prosecuting counsel objected, saying based on the ruling of the court which found the charges not defective, the next thing for the defendants was to take their pleas.
He said the defence counsels were not to dictate to the court.
“The stage is set for us to proceed based on the ruling of the court this morning, not this motion. My Lord has ruled that any objection can be taken after plea has been taken. No exception,” Jibro said.
July 2 has been slated for resumption of hearing on the matter. How this will affect Ize-Iyamu’s chances at the polls will be known in the days ahead.
