The embattled Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, said on Friday that he will maintain his innocence in the recent charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
In a statement personally signed by him, Oluomo said he will want the court to decide the case “because the hyperbolic nature of the petitions written by the impeached former Deputy Speaker, Dare Kadiri was also reflected in the charges.”
According to Oluomo, “By law, I am not the Accounting Officer of the House, for emphasis, the House under my leadership operates only one bank account since 2019, through which running cost and allowances are paid directly into the bank accounts of individual Honourable members and staff of the House including the petitioner.”
He also explained that charges 10 and 11 are for the Eighth legislature before he became the Speaker.
Oluomo also clarified that his refusal to honour the initial invitation of the EFCC was because the method adopted by the anti-graft body was against section 36 of the Constitution and it has been challenged it in court.
“This is in the public domain as it was widely reported but the EFCC refused to wait for the pronouncement in that case before taking further steps, despite having joined issues with us in court,” he stressed.
“I have always been disciplined and upright in my position, conducts and dealings with people, I shall continue to remain myself with truth and honour as my goal. I thank everyone that showed love and concern in the last few days. Thanks and God bless you all,” he concluded.
The EFCC had filed an 11-count charge of forgery, conspiracy, and stealing from the state treasury among others, against Oluomo, and three others.
The anti-graft agency alleged that the speaker and Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo, and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke – the trio is still at large – laundered over N2 billion of public funds among themselves. The EFCC said the act is against the provision of sections 18 (a), 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
The anti-graft agency has also quizzed and charged the speaker for another missing N900,000,000 public funds allegedly embezzled by the defendants.
The EFFC’s Lagos Head of Legal Monitoring Unit, Rotimi Oyedepo, filed the charges against the speaker and the three other defendants before the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Penutimate Thursday, operatives of the anti-graft agency arrested Mr Oluomo, around 9:00 a.m. at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos.
Below are the 10 counts against the speaker:
COUNT 1
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) sometimes in 2019 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to USE the total sum of N2,475,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion, Four Hundred and Seventy Five Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18 (a), 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT 2
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) between June,2019 and June,2020 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court used the total sum of N900,000,000.00 (Nine Hundred Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT 3
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) between July,2020 and July,2021 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court used the total sum of N900,000,000.00 (Nine Hundred Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT 4
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) between August,2021 and December,2021 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court used the total sum of N375,000,000.00 (Three Hundred and Seventy Five Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT 5
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) between January,2022 and April,2022 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court used the total sum of N300,000,000.00 (Three Hundred Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT 6
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo or about the 12th day of September,2019 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court TRANSFERRED the sum of N2,000,000.00 (Two Million Naira) to BENGRAPHICS, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT 7
That you Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo or about the 12th day of September,2019 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court TRANSFERRED the sum of N1,100,000.00 (One Million, One Hundred Thousand Naira) to BENGRAPHICS, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: stealing from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
COUNT 8
That you, Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) on or about the 22nd day of August, 2019 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently forged Ogun State of Nigeria General Claim Form with reference No: OGHA/4/AUG/2019 wherein you claimed that the sum of N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) was received by one Adewunmi Tunde and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
COUNT 9
That you, Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) on or about the 30th day of May, 2020 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently forged Ogun State of Nigeria General Claim Form with reference No: OGHA/11/MAY/2020 wherein you claimed that the sum of N30,250,000.00 (Thirty Million Two hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) was received by one ADESINA ABIMBOLA and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
COUNT 10
That you, Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) on or about the 21st day of January, 2019 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently forged Ogun State of Nigeria General Claim Form with reference No: OGHA/3/JAN/2019 wherein you claimed that the sum of N12,000,000.00 (Twelve Million Naira) was received by one BABATUNDE ABIOLA and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
COUNT 11
That you, Oluomo Olakunle Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) on or about the 26th day of January, 2019 in Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently forged Ogun State of Nigeria General Claim Form with reference No: OGHA/4/JAN/2019 wherein you claimed that the sum of N16,000,000.00 (Sixteen Million Naira) was received by one ADEBOWALE JAMIU and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
