Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday discharged and acquitted Kappo Aderinola, a former treasurer of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, in an alleged N20.1 million fraud case.
Aderinola had been standing trial on a 30-count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit felony, money laundering, and stealing.
He was arraigned alongside two former chairmen of the NBA Ikeja Branch, Adesina Ogunlana and Yinka Farounbi, over allegations involving funds said to belong to the association.
The trio were first brought before the court on May 22, 2019, in connection with the alleged sum of N20,100,000.
According to the prosecution, Aderinola and Farounbi, who were signatories to the NBA Ikeja Branch accounts at the time, allegedly signed cheques without due authorisation and handed them over to Ogunlana for encashment.
Farounbi served as chairman of the branch between 2014 and 2016, with Aderinola serving as treasurer during the same period, while Ogunlana later held office as chairman from 2016 to 2018.
All three defendants were jointly charged with conspiracy to steal. While Ogunlana faced additional charges comprising 15 counts of stealing and one count of money laundering, Farounbi and Aderinola were jointly charged with 13 counts of stealing.
The defendants had all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In her judgment, Justice Dada held that the prosecution failed to establish its case against Aderinola beyond a reasonable doubt.
The court consequently discharged and acquitted the former NBA Ikeja treasurer.
