The Special Offences Court in Lagos has acquitted former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, of medical forgery charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The former minister made it known to newsmen after the court’s ruling this Tuesday, saying that he is overjoyed to be free after being in and out of court for the past 18 years.
Justice Olubumni Abike-Fadipe delivered the ruling after accepting a no-case submission from Fani-Kayode’s lawyer, Norrison Quakers. The judge concluded that the prosecution had failed to establish a clear case against the defendant, leading to the decision that Fani-Kayode had no case to answer.
She said the prosecution failed to present key witnesses, including the defendant’s associates who allegedly received money from him and the lawyer who supposedly took the medical reports to the Federal High Court. The judge also noted that extrajudicial statements presented by the prosecution could not be used as evidence.
Before acquitting and discharging Fani-Kayode, she said, “I have carefully examined the prosecution’s evidence and found no basis to support the allegations against the defendant.”.
Recall that the EFCC had charged Fani-Kayode with using forged medical reports, allegedly presented before the Federal High Court in a case concerning a N4.9 billion fraud. One of the charges involved the use of a fraudulent medical report from Kubwa General Hospital, which the hospital later denied issuing.
Prosecution witnesses testified that Fani-Kayode paid a total of N820,000 for four forged medical reports. One of the witnesses claimed that the former minister personally dictated the contents of the reports, which he denied.
Fani-Kayode’s legal team filed the no-case submission in December 2024, arguing that the prosecution had failed to prove its case. The court’s ruling brings an end to the forgery charges against him.