Chairman of Bi-Courtney Limited, Wale Babalakin is already finalising plans to jet out of the country to escape prosecution for aiding Delta State Governor, James Ibori to launder N4.7bn, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said.
Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), counsel to the agency, stated this on Wednesday before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, where Babalakin’s absence again stalled hearing on the matter.
An earlier failure to appear in court due to his admission at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) saw the court adjourn the case to Wednesday but Babalakin again stayed away from court, claiming that his life has been endangered by strange faces who have invaded the hospital to forcefully arrest.
“We had an intelligence report that he wanted to leave the country. It is our duty to ensure that he does not escape,” Babalakin. “It has happened before. Ibori left this country and was jailed in the UK. It is the duty of EFCC to ensure that this should not happen again.”
According to Jacobs, the application for an adjournment filed by Babalakin’s counsel, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN) and Dr. Abiodun Layolu (SAN) and the suit against EFCC are to frsutrate the case.
In their arguments, Layolu and Ayorinde described EFCC’s allegations as spurious.
“The continued siege on the first defendant (Babalakin) in the hospital by EFCC operatives can worsen his health condition and delay the arraignment,” he said, adding that his client is suffering from hypertension, an ailment that has been aggravated by the presence of the stern-looking operatives in the hospital premises.
The judge advised EFCC to obtain an independent medical report on the accused’s health status and then adjourned the matter to 17th January 2013 for hearing of the applications filed by the defence counsel and for Babalakin’s arraignment.
