The Edo State Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 19, 2020 polls, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, will appear in court in Thursday in a case preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The APC stalwart is standing trial alongside four others before Justice J. M. Umar of the Federal High Court, Benin City.
According to Royal News, Ize-Iyamu is being tried on an eight-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N700 million reportedly deployed to prosecute the 2015 general elections.
The anti-graft agency, in the suit marked FHC/BE21C/ 2016, said the gubernatorial hopeful and the other accused allegedly collected the public funds for the polls, contrary to the provisions of the EFCC Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
A group, Concerned Citizens of Edo State, had last week charged youths in the state to meticulously follow the trial.
This was when the youths said: “We call on Edo youths to be aware that Pastor Ize-Iyamu would be standing trial for an N700 million money laundering case preferred against him and four others by the EFCC. The case comes up in court on July 2, 2020.”
The DEFENDER gathered that Ize-Iyamu was one of politicians given the grace by President Muhammadu Buhari to return their shares of the arms money ls of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan era.
While others have since returned their own, the PDP chieftain who only weeks to primary election screen defected to APC clinking on the shoulders of suspended national chairman of the party.
Many have also been found guilty and sentenced for the same offence this politician is alleged to have committed.
