From ABDULLAHI SHUAIBU, Lafia
A Federal High Court, sitting in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital yesterday warned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against delaying the alleged N15 billion fraud trial against the immediate past governor of the state, Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma, alongside nine others.
The trial judge, Justice Agatha Okeke handed down the warning after the EFCC Counsel, Dele Adesina, SAN failed to produce the fiat of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), delegating his powers to him to prosecute the matter as ordered by the judge in the last sitting on October 24. Justice Agatha who was not happy with the way the EFCC was handling the case, as well as flouting the court order to produce the fiat, said the court would not entertain any excuse on the next sitting date.
Justice Okeke, who refused to grant the prayers of EFCC counsel to go ahead with the trial without the fiat, added that Kemi Pinhero, whom Adesina claimed to be representing, had earlier sent a letter, seeking for adjournment of the case.
In his submission, the EFCC counsel, Adesina, who had earlier urged the court to go ahead with the trial, then sought for the extension of time, with a view to enabling his chambers to produce the fiat at the next adjourned date, pointing out that he was not aware of the letter sent by his colleague, Pinhero. He attributed the mix up to his chambers that sent him a different fiat, saying it was issued to both of them to prosecute the matter.
She, thereafter, adjourned the case to December 10, 2012 and ordered the EFCC counsel to produce the fiat on the next adjourned date. Justice Okeke who took over the case from Justice Marcel Awokulehin has adjourned the matter twice in the last one month.
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