Chairman, Bi-Courtney Highway Services, Dr. Wale Babalakin, failed to appear in court on Thursday to face charges of allegedly helping the convicted former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, to fleece the state up to N4.5bn in 2006.
Babalakin’s absence at the Lagos High Court in Ikeja, where the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was scheduled to arraign him, according to his lawyer, Ebun Sofunde (SAN), was said to be due to ill health.
His co-accused, Mr. Alex Okon, was, however, present in court.
Sofunde told the court presided over by Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo that his client was on admission at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital for an undisclosed ailment.
This development shocked the EFCC legal team as there was no indication of Babalakin’s ailment as at the time he was interrogated by the anti-graft agency in Abuja on Monday.
Others charged along with Babalakin and Okoh were companies said to have been used to perpetrate the alleged fraud. They are Stabilini Visioni Ltd., Bi-Courtney Ltd. and Renix Nigeria Ltd.
The defendants are facing 27 counts of conspiracy, retention of proceeds of a criminal conduct and corruptly conferring benefit on account of public action.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants had fraudulently assisted Ibori to transfer various sums through various parties to Erin Aviation account in Mauritius for the purchase of a Challenger Jet Aircraft.
According to the anti-graft agency, the said transactions took place between May and September 2006 while Ibori was the governor of the state.
The arraignment was subsequently adjourned till December 12, 2013.
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Babalakin’s absence stalls arraignment for money laundering