A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, dismissed certificate forgery case against former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the last governorship election in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke.
Justice Inyang Ekwo discharg and acquitted Adeleke and others in the alleged examination malpractices charge filed against them.
Justice Ekwo freed the defendants from the seven amended count charges while delivering ruling in their no-case submission in the suit.
The Police had in 2018 arraigned Adeleke along with Sikiru Adeleke (who is said to be the senator’s relative), Alhaji Aregbesola Mufutau (the school principal), Gbadamosi Thomas Ojo (a school registrar) and Dare Samuel Olutope (a teacher) on a four-count charge bordering on examination fraud.
However, the court had last year freed Adeleke from the charges after it was withdrawn by police.
The police predicated their action on the grounds that Adeleke had failed to make himself available for the trial since he was granted leave to travel abroad on medical grounds.
The police then prayed the court to sever the charge, to exclude Adeleke from the trial and arraigned the remaining four on a seven-count charge bordering on conspiracy.
After calling five witnesses, the police closed their case, which led to the filing of a no-case submission by the defendant.
In his ruling on the no-case submission, Justice Ekwo held that the prosecution
failed to establish prima facie case, having not proved the ingredients of the charge.
Ekwo further held that the burden of proof rested on the prosecution which according to him failed woefully in discharging the burden by not calling relevant witnesses.
“No witness was called from the National Examination Council (NECO) to testify throughout the trial. To worsen the situation, no eye witness was called from the school where the alleged malpractices was perpetrated,” Ekwo held.
Besides, the judge said that there was no iota of the ingredients of conspiracy supplied to the court by the police to establish that the four defendants conspired to commit the alleged malpractices.
“In all the evidence of the five witnesses were so discredited during cross examination and so manifestly unreliable to warrant the defendants to be called upon to enter their defense in the charges against them.
“In conclusion, since the testimony of the prosecution is insufficient to warrant the defendants to open defense, I have no difficulty in upholding their no-case submission and discharge and acquit them from the charges. The suit is hereby dismissed,” the judge held.
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