Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has expressed joy and gratitude after being acquitted and discharged by the Lagos State High Court in the medical forgery case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In a ruling delivered by Justice Olubumni Abike-Fadipe, the court upheld the no case submission filed by his legal team, stating that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case linking him to the alleged offence.
Reacting to the verdict, Fani-Kayode took to Facebook to celebrate what he described as a long-awaited victory.
“It was a great day and a great victory in court today. The Lagos State High Court has discharged me of the last and final set of criminal charges that were proffered against me by the EFCC, and I give thanks to God,” he wrote.
The former minister emphasised that after 18 years of legal battles in various courts across the country, he had finally won the last case against him.
“Finally, after 18 long and difficult years of constant and consecutive criminal cases in no less than four separate courts in different parts of the country, I have won the last one, and it is all over. After 18 years, I finally have my life back and can focus on my family and loved ones,” he added.
Quoting civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Fani-Kayode declared his freedom from legal entanglements:
“FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY WE ARE FREE AT LAST.”
His acquittal marks the end of a long legal battle that saw him face multiple charges, including allegations of fraud and forgery. The EFCC had accused him of procuring and submitting forged medical reports to delay his trial in an ongoing N4.9 billion fraud case at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
However, the court ruled that the prosecution failed to provide substantial evidence against him, leading to his discharge.
With this latest ruling, Fani-Kayode is now free of all criminal charges, marking the end of nearly two decades of legal proceedings.
