…Trial holds today
Failure of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to serve all defendants with copies of charges Wednesday stalled the arraignment of the immediate past Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke.
Meanwhile, the proceeding could not start until after 2pm.
Adoke, a former minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan was to be arraigned before a Gwagwalada Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja on a 42-count charge instituted against him and others by the EFCC following his alleged role in the $1.1billion Malabu Oil Bloc fraud.
Other defendants in the charge marked FCT/CR/151/2020 are A. Aliyu, Rasky Gbinigie, Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, Nigeria Agip Limited and Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited.
At the hearing Wednesday, EFCC’s lawyer, Bala Sanga told the court that the prosecution was unable to serve all the defendants with the charge.
He told the court that the second defendant was arrested about 15 minutes before the proceeding commenced.
After hearing him out, the presiding judge, Idris Kutigi subsequently shifted arraignment of the defendants to Thursday.
Adoke was brought to the court in an EFCC bus and operatives stepped out of the white bus on the court premises at 1.50 pm. Adoke walked into the courtroom using a walking stick as support.
The ex-AGF was decked in a white clothe with a cap to match, putting up a smiling face. He chatted with some senior lawyers before he later took his seat beside the dock.
