A former Minister of State for Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman, has asked Justice Muslim Hassan of the Federal High Court in Lagos to allow her to be tried separately from a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission charged Usman and Fani-Kayode with an alleged fraud of N4.9bn.
The other defendants in the charge are one Danjuma Yusuf and a company, Joint Trust Dimensions Nigeria Limited.
The defendants were arraigned before Justice Hassan on 17 counts on June 29, 2016.
Trial in the case had commenced on October 21, 2016, with the EFCC calling its first witness, Idowu Olusegun, a media consultant.
At the resumed proceedings in the case on Tuesday, Usman’s lawyer, Mr. Jelili Owonikoko (SAN), pointed Justice Hassan’s attention to two pending applications filed by his client.
One of the applications, Owonikoko said, was praying the court to allow Usman to be tried separately from Fani-Kayode and for her trial to be transferred from Lagos to Abuja for convenience.
Owonikoko said his client was apprehensive that she might not get justice if she was jointly tried with Fani-Kayode.
“We are concerned about the joint trial of the first defendant (Usman) with the second defendant (Fani-Kayode),” he said.
He said it was inconvenient for his client, who lives in Abuja, to be travelling to Lagos to stand trial.
He said it became even more difficult for the former minister because all her bank accounts had been frozen, adding that for each court appearance, she would fly to Lagos a day before, lodge in a hotel and return to Abuja the day after the court trial.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria told the court that Usman, in the second application, prayed for the release of her passport to enable her to travel abroad for medical treatment.
Fani-Kayode’s lawyer, Mr. Norrison Quakers (SAN), also filed an application, urging Justice Hassan to excuse himself from the case because the judge was once a prosecutor with the EFCC.
Justice Hassan adjourned till Wednesday (today) to hear the applications.
From Punch
*Why do they all want to go abroad for Medical treatment as soon as EFCC sends their cases to court?
OK ooo....
ReplyDeleteShe cant fly lag but can fly abroad? Smh
DeleteWe are waiting and watching.
ReplyDeleteTo cool off nah Stella
ReplyDeleteI need a job before first batch of nysc. My location is ikorodu
Lol
ReplyDeleteThe fear of KKF and his political enemies
hahahahaha i remembered when i went for an AGM meeting, i saw this beautiful woman and someone wanted to ask a question concerning her since she is one of the board members, come see shout from some hausa women that followed her, chai na wa.
ReplyDeletesorry ooo enjoy your day in court. say no to free money because the thing they over purge
With which mone6 does she intend to travel abroad with since she claims her accounts were frozen and she couldn't cope with travel expense to Lagos, not to talk of overseas
ReplyDeleteSee thief that has right
ReplyDeleteAwoof dey run Belle! Money you no work for they sweet to spend and quick to finish! When the mighty have fallen o! All of them will claim sickness when they are taken to court but when they were eating the money na enjoyment galore. Time to dance to the music they started in the first place mtshewww
ReplyDeleteAwoof dey run Belle! Money you no work for they sweet to spend and quick to finish! When the mighty have fallen o! All of them will claim sickness when they are taken to court but when they were eating the money na enjoyment galore. Time to dance to the music they started in the first place mtshewww
ReplyDeleteAin't you all thieves?? Abeg try them together ojare
ReplyDelete