A Lagos High Court Tuesday ordered a socialite, Fred Ajudua, charged with defrauding a former Chief of Army Staff, Ishaya Bamaiyi, of $8.4 million, to undergo a COVID-19 test at the laboratory of the Yaba Infe.
The judge, Josephine Oyefeso, gave the order following Mr Ajudua’s failure to appear in court for his trial three consecutive times.
The defendant had cited the contraction of coronavirus.
In a ruling, Mrs Oyefeso, said that in order to verify Mr Ajudua’s claim, he must be tested in the presence of the representatives of both prosecution and defence.
She added that the result must be communicated to the court within 48 hours.
Earlier, defence counsel, Akinwale Kola-Taiwo, representing the Law Chambers of Olalekan Ojo (SAN), told the court that though Mr Ajudua was in the court premises, he should not be mandated to enter the courtroom because he tested positive for COVID-19.
Kola-Taiwo told the court that the medical report of the defendant showed that he contracted the deadly virus for the first time on January 8 and tested negative on January 15 after he had undergone self-medication.
He said: “I am sincerely sorry for the absence of the defendant. He is downstairs but I don’t think he should be made to enter the court.
“An associate of the defendant met me and handed over these documents to me. They are medical reports of the defendant testing positive for COVID-19 virus.
“The defendant has an underlying health issue. He has been living with one kidney for a couple of years now.
“Around October 14, while he was in his home town in Delta state, he also contracted COVID-19. The defendant has been medicating ever since but his condition is deteriorating.”
NAN
