P&ID: Ex-Lagos AG Challenges Court’s Jurisdiction

A former Lagos State attorney-general and commissioner for justice Olasupo Shasore (SAN) has told the Federal High Court in Lagos that it lacks the jurisdiction to try him for money laundering.

Shasore, who is facing a four-count charge of laundering the sum of $200,000, told the trial judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, that the charge against him was incompetent and failed to disclose any offence against him.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had accused the defendant, who served as AG during the administration of former Governor Babatunde Fashola, of inducing a former legal director at the Petroleum Ministry, Olufolakemi Adetore, into accepting cash payment of the sum of $100,000 without going through a financial institution.

The anti-graft agency claimed that the defendant made a cash payment of the sum of $100,000 to Adelore through Auwalu Habu and Wole Aboderin.

The commission also alleged in the charge that the former Lagos AG made a cash payment of the sum of $100,000 to a lawyer, Ikechukwu Oguine, without going through a financial institution.

The sums which the anti-graft agency maintained exceeded the amount permitted by law.

The EFCC also insisted that the offence contravened sections 78(c); 1(a) and 16(1)(d) and 18(c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 16(6) and 16 (2)(b) of the same Act.

The defendant, who was said to have committed the offences on or about November 18, 2014, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

At the resumed hearing of the matter on Tuesday, the defence lawyer, Olawale Akoni (SAN) told the court that his client had filed an application challenging the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the charge.

Akoni stated that Shasore’s application challenging the court’s jurisdiction is a motion to strike out the charge for want of jurisdiction.

He also submitted that the defence in the alternative, is asking the court for “an order for the prosecution to avail it with all relevant documents in their possession not disclosed or absent from the proof of evidence and needed for a robust defence of the matter.

But the EFCC counsel, Abba Mohammed informed the judge that the application was served on the Commission last Friday, after the close of work and that he only saw the application this morning.

Mohammed further stated that the documents demanded by the defence did not have anything to do with the defendant. He urged the court to proceed and not let the defendant’s application stall the scheduled trial.

However, Justice Aneke, held that there was a need for the court to first hear the application before further proceedings in the case.

He then adjourned the matter to April 26 for the hearing of the defendant’s application challenging the court’s jurisdiction.