By Steve Oni, Ilorin
The Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned the General Manager of the Kwara State Television Authority, Alhaji Abdulfatai Adewale Adebowale, on a six count charge bordering on malpractices before Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the High Court sitting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
Adebowale’s trouble started when some staff of the television station wrote a petition to the EFCC, alleging that the General Manager sold the 10 plots of land allocated to the television station’s workers by the state government and converted the proceeds to his personal use.
The petitioners also alleged that the defendant used his influence to allocate a plot of land to his daughter who is not working with the television station.
Count Three of the Charge stated: “That you, Abdulfatai Adewale Adebowale being a public officer, as the General Manager of Kwara State Television Authority, sometime between May and June 2015 in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kwara State, used your Office to confer corrupt advantage upon yourself, when you received a cash deposit of the sum of N2,350,000.00 (two Million, three hundred and fifty thousand naira only) through your Stanbic Ibtc Bank account number 0007306612 from Sulyman Abdulkareem being proceeds from the sale of land allocated to staff of Kwara State Television and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000.”
The Kwara TV boss, however, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read.
Prosecuting Counsel, Christopher Mschelia, however, told the Court that: “My Lord, in the light of defendant’s plea of not guilty, the prosecution shall be praying this honourable to give us a trial day and order the accused person to be remanded in Prison Custody.”
Defence Counsel, D.B Hasana, told the Court that: “My Lord, we have no objections to the first prayer seeking for a trial day but we shall be vehemently opposing the the second prayer. I therefore urge you to remand the defendant in EFCC Custody because of his health conditions.”
Justice Oyinloye, in his ruling, ordered that the defendant be remanded in Oke Kura correctional service and adjourned the matter till next Tuesday for hearing of his bail application.
Leave a Reply