Justice Nnyang Ekwo of federal high court, Abuja, Wednesday warned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against several requests for an adjournment.
Ekwo gave the warning at the resumed trial of the former Attorney General of the Federation, Bello Adoke, and a businessman, Aliyu Abubakar.
Adoke and Abubakar were re-arraigned by the EFCC on August 4, on an amended 14-count charge bordering on money laundering.
The duo is facing trial on a seven counts charge each.
Blueprint reports that the court had earlier adjourned the case four times at the instance of the prosecution.
The Judge’s reaction was occasioned by a request made by counsel to the EFCC, Bala Sanga, for an adjournment due to the absence of the fifth prosecution witness in the trial.
But according to Sanga, the fifth witness became hesitant and refused to come before the court to testify.
He nonetheless added that a subpoena has been issued and served on the witness on Wednesday morning, praying the court for a short adjournment to enable the prosecution bring its witness.
Responding, Ekwo told the prosecution counsel to take notice that there is a limit to the number of adjournments he can request.
On two occasions, the anti-graft commission had sought an adjournment after failing to serve necessary processes (witness statements) on the defendants.
Also on Monday, Olalekan Ojo, counsel to Abubakar, a second defendant in the matter, raised an objection saying the statement of the fourth prosecution witness was not added to the proof of evidence served on them.
Consequently, an adjournment was also granted at the instance of the EFCC.
At the Wednesday proceeding, Farouk Suleiman, a bureau de change (BDC) operator, told the court that sometime in September 2013, Abubakar (second defendant) gave him several (seven) cheques totalling N2 billion and asked him to change it to the dollar equivalent.
According to Suleiman, receiving it, he went ahead to clear the cheque through Farsman Holdings Limited, his company account, with Heritage Bank.
After changing the money into dollars, he paid $9, 084,700 in cash to one Abdulhakeem Uthman Mustapha, a lawyer, in five tranches after which he handed a residual balance in cash to Abubakar.
But under cross-examination by Ojo, Suleiman confirmed neither the cheques nor the receipt of transactions had the name of the second defendant.
Adoke’s lawyer, Paul Erokoro SAN, did not cross-examine the witness after Suleiman finished his evidence in chief.
He said the cheques were drawn in the name of “Equal Access Limited.”
Meanwhile, after hearing out the parties, Justice Ekwo granted Sanga’s adjournment application.
The two counsels did not however raise any objection or oppose the application.
Continuation of trial has since been fixed for September 11 by the trial Judge.
