A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has discharged and acquitted former Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, of all charges in his protracted money laundering trial instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Delivering judgment on Tuesday morning, the court upheld Fayose’s no-case submission, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case sufficient to require the former governor to enter a defence.

Fayose had been on trial over allegations of fraud and money laundering said to have occurred during his tenure as governor. However, after several years of legal proceedings, the court concluded that the evidence tendered by the EFCC was not strong enough to support the charges.

The ruling brings to an end one of the high-profile corruption cases against a former Nigerian governor.