The trial of Pastor Moses Ayantoye, who was accused of fraud and impersonation, was on Wednesday stalled at the Oyo State High in Ibadan due to ill health of his counsel, Mr A.R. Daramola.
The defendant was on Feb. 8 arraigned on a 23-count charges bordering on forgery, impersonation, defamation and fraud.
The defendant was a Pastor of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Oke-Ife, Agbowo area of Ibadan.
At the Wednesday proceedings, the Prosecuting Counsel, Mr Michael Lana informed the court that he received a letter from the defendant’s counsel seeking for an adjournment on ground of ill health.
Lana told the court that the case was slated for reading of the amended charges against the defendant and commencement of trial.
He said the matter could not proceed in view of the letter written by the counsel to the defendant and urged the court to adjourn the matter to January 12, 2023 for trial.
Justice R. Akintola adjourned the matter until January 12, 2023 for taken of the plea of the defendant on the amended charges and trial.
The prosecutor had earlier informed the court that the defendant forged the letterhead of CAC,wrote a letter and forwarded it to the Assistant Inspector of Police (AIG) Zone 11, Osogbo and made false statement against CAC Pastors, the church’s solicitor, officers of the Corporate Affairs Commission with the aim of getting them falsely prosecuted for criminal offence.
Lana further told the court that the defendant impersonated as the National Publicity Secretary officer of the church and used the church’s letterhead to write a letter which was published on the Nation newspaper.
He said that the defendant published a defamatory matter against the President and other Trustees of Christ Apostolic Church of Nigeria in the national dailies of October 18, 2021.
The prosecutor further said that the defendant with the intent to defraud made church’s documents without any authority and wrote a letter to the Chairman of Legal Practitioners and Privileges Committee with the aim of depriving an applicant for the rank of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria not to be considered.
The defendant had pleaded not guilty to the charges and granted bail.
