EFCC Operatives
Trials of
EFCC Operatives
Trials of NBA President, Fayose Adjourned
NBA President, Paul Usoro’s Trial Adjourned to April 17
Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi,
Lagos has adjourned the N1.4 billion fraud trial of the President
of the Nigerian Bar Association NBA, Paul Usoro, SAN, to April 17,
2019.
Usoro was charged along with Nsikan Nkan, Akwa Ibom State
Commissioner for Finance; Mfon Udomah, Accountant-General of Akwa
Ibom State; Uwemedimo Nwoko, Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State
and Margaret Ukpe (who are all at large) on a 10-count charge
bordering on money laundering.
At today’s sitting, March 18, 2019, the first defendant, Usoro,
in an application, sought an order of the court directing the
prosecution to serve on him a “summarized witness statement of
evidence of those listed to give evidence in the matter.”
Usoro’s co-defendants, through their counsel, Mike Ozekhome,
SAN, want the court to set aside the warrant of arrest issued
against them.
In another application brought by Dr. Charles Mekwunye, counsel
to the governor of Akwa Ibom State, the applicant challenged the
jurisdiction of the court to proceed with the hearing of the
charges.
Consequently, Justice Aikawa adjourned for hearing of the
pending applications.
It will be recalled that Usoro was first arraigned before
Justice M.S. Hassan, who later opted out of the matter.
The defendant had alleged that Justice Hassan would be biased,
having been a former employee of the EFCC.
Usoro was, thereafter, re-arraigned before Justice Aikawa on
March 1, 2019.
Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
……………………..
Fayose’s Trial Adjourned to March 19
Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court sitting in
Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday, March 18, 2019, adjourned further hearing
in the trial of a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose,
to Tuesday, March 19, 2019.
Fayose was arraigned along with his company, Spotless Investment
Limited, on October 22, 2018 on an 11-count charge bordering on
fraud and money laundering to the tune of N2.2 billion.
He is facing trial in connection with the sums of N1.299 billion
and $5.3 million out of the N4.65 million slush funds allegedly
shared by the then National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo
Dasuki (retd.).
At today’s sitting, the court could not continue with the
cross-examination of the fifth prosecution witness, Musiliu
Obanikoro, a former Minister of State for Defence, owing to the
absence of the counsel to the second defendant, Olalekan Ojo, SAN,
in court.
Ahmed Mustafa, who stood in for Ojo, told the court that he was
“a little indisposed and could not appear in court.”
Earlier in the proceedings, the court admitted in evidence the
extra-judicial statement of the late Justin Eruka, a former aide to
Obanikoro.
At the last adjourned sitting on February 7, 2019, counsel to
the second defendant, Spotless Investment Limited, Olalekan Ojo
SAN, had moved a motion seeking the court to accept the statement
of the deceased as evidence.
The prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, had, however,
objected to the admissibility of the document, arguing that the
statement was not admissible in law.
“The maker of the document is dead; so, the defence only wanted
to smuggle the document to the court,” he said.
Justice Olatoregun had, therefore, adjourned to today for ruling
on the application.
Ruling today, Justice Olatoregun held that: “Given the fact that
the maker of the document is late does not make the document
irrelevant to the case before this court.
“The document is relevant to this case and I, therefore, admit
the document in evidence.”
The case was thereafter, adjourned to tomorrow, March 19, 2019
for continuation of cross-examination of Obanikoro.
Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity