Bankole's N40 Billion Loan Scam Latest: EFCC Accuses Dimeji Bankole Of Delaying Trial

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday accused former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole and his deputy, Usman Nafada, of delaying trial in the N40 billion loan scam.

The accusation was made before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting in Abuja, following the defence counsel’s plea for leave to file an application for a no-case-submission.

Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), one of the defence lawyers, had said that they just received the court’s record of proceedings of the evidence led by the prosecution and that after reading it, they needed time to prepare their submissions.


Bankole and Nafada who were arraigned on Monday, June 13, 2011, on a 17-count charge of criminal breach of trust, misappropriation and theft, were to enter into defence today. But at the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, Oyetibo pleaded for time, which, however, prosecution counsel, Festus Keyamo, described as an attempt to further delay the trial of the case, which the presiding judge, Justice Suleiman Belgore, had promised to conclude before the end of the year.

Consequently, Belgore told the defence team to file their written addresses on the no-case-submission and the prosecution to reply before the next adjourned date of January 16, 2012.