The Tuesday arraignment of a Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, over alleged forgery of medical report, was stalled as the ex-minister challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter.
FirstNews earlier reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday dragged Fani-Kayode before Justice Oluwabunmi Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court in the Ikeja area of Lagos.
The anti-gaft agency alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress member procured one Dr Ogieva Oziegbe to issue him a fake medical report, which he was said to have tendered before the Federal High Court in his ongoing money laundering trial.
But the former minister through his counsel, Wale Balogun, challenged the jurisdiction of the court.
He told Justice Abike-Fadipe that the allegation of procurement of a “fabricated” medical report made against him by the EFCC was said to have occurred in Abuja, and not in Lagos.
He, there, argued that he could not be tried in Lagos.
He made the submission after the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo prayed the court to compel the defendant to take his plea to the 12-count.
EFCC claimed that Fani-Kayode on October 11, 2021, in Kubwa, Abuja, fraudulently connived with Dr Oziegbe to execute a document titled: MEDICAL REPORT ON Olufemi Fani Kayode 60 YEARS/MALE/HOSP. NO.00345 and purported same to have been issued by Kubwa General Hospital.
According to the anti-gaft agency the procuring and execution of documents by false pretence is contrary to section 369 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.