A-44-year old, Ayodeji Abayomi Williams is now a free man as he has been discharged of a N30million fraud charge against him.
He was discharged by Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court, Ikeja on Monday.
In the ruling, Justice Dada held that Ayodeji was discharged based on the failure of the Police Special Fraud Unit, SFU, to diligently prosecute the charge against him.
He was earlier charged with conspiracy to steal as the Police claimed that he conspired with others now at large sometimes in March 2020 while working with RAO Investment Company Limited to steal the sum of N25,445,000.00.
He was arraigned on 1st December, 2020. But during the trial, the accountant who earlier testified and was about to be cross-examined failed to show up in court.
The witness, Lawal Abdulatifu Adewale, accountant to Razaq Akanni Okoya, owner of RAO Investment Company Limited, failed to appear for cross-examination.
This was announced by the Police Legal, Police SFU, Justine Enang Esq., who informed the trial judge that the nominal complaint informed him of withdrawal from the case, as he was said to be out of the country.
To this end, Osagie Akioya, the defence counsel leading two other lawyers; Mr. Mark Alabi Esq., and Temitope James Esq., urged the court to award N150,000 cost against the prosecution for such infraction.
But the Presiding judge only struck out the case and discharged the defendant without cost against prosecution.
