Alleged $200m Bribe: Dispute Over Service of Court Documents Stalls Shasore’s Trial

Wale Igbintade and Steven Aya

Hearing in the trial of a former Attorney-General of Lagos State, Olasupo Shasore, over alleged $200,000 corrupt offers before a Lagos State Special Offences Court was stalled yesterday due to disagreement over service of documents from the prosecution to the defence.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on October 21, 2022, arraigned the former Attorney-General on a two-count charge bordering on corrupt offers.

He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

At the last date of the trial, Justice Mojisola Dada had adjourned the case after the lead defence counsel, Chijioke Okoli, sought for the adjournment of the case pending the sorting out of the issue of the disputed documents.

Okoli told the court that defence had filed an application dated December 2, to seek for an adjournment.

He added that there was need for an adjournment because the defence team needed more documents from the prosecution to defend their case.

The EFCC counsel, Bala Sanga, had informed the court that he was ready to proceed with trial as that was the business of the day.

Justice Dada however, granted the prayer of the defence and adjourned the matter till today.

However, when the matter came up for hearing yesterday, Shasore’s counsel, Muiz Banire, informed the court that the prosecutor was yet to oblige them with the documents they requested for at the last adjourned date.

He noted that the defence would need those documents to challenge the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the charges.

In a counter response, the EFCC Counsel, Sanga, told the court that they had served the defence with the requested document, while showing the proof of service to the court.

However, the judge who also confirmed that the proof of service was not in the court file, urged the prosecutor to file an affidavit of service.

Subsequently, the matter was adjourned till June 20, for trial.

According to the EFCC, Shasore allegedly gave $100,000 to Mrs. Olufolakemi Adelore (then Director, Legal, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources) on account of the role she played in the arbitral proceedings instituted by Process and Industrial Developments Ltd (P&ID) against the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

The prosecution also submitted that the defendant allegedly gave another $100,000 to Mr. Ikechukwu Oguine (Secretary to the Corporation and Coordinator, Legal Services, (NNPC) on account of the role he played in the arbitral proceedings instituted by P&ID against the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.