Proceedings in the case involving a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki and four others before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja has been adjourned to October 21, 2016.
Dasuki( first defendant)
alongside Shuaibu Salisu, a former Director of Finance and Administration,
Office of the National Security Adviser; Aminu Babakusa, a former General
Manager, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation; Acacia Holdings Limited and
Reliance Referral Hospital Limited are being prosecuted by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a 19-count charge bordering
on money laundering and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N13, 570,000,
000.00( Thirteen Billion, Five Hundred and Seventy Million Naira).
At the resumed hearing on
Wednesday, October 5, 2016, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, moved
an application for the consolidation of the case with a similar matter before
Justice Peter Afem of the FCT High Court, Maitama, where
Dasuki, Bashir
Yuguda, a former Minister of State for Finance; Attahiru Bafarawa, ex-governor
of Sokoto State; his son, Sagir and their firm, Dalhatu Investment, are being
prosecuted by the EFCC for N13 billion fraud..
Moving his application
today, Jacobs said: ‘‘I want this case to go on. I want a situation
whereby the two files can be brought before your Lordship. I had met with
the defence counsels on how we could appeal to the Chief Judge to transfer the
two cases to your Lordship.
‘‘I am only seeking a
‘short cut’ for the court to dispense with the matter. Again, my Lord, I
know that your ruling on this case may attract an appeal by the defence. So, my
application for the consolidation of the two cases is for my Lord to
effectively hear the two cases together.’’
In his response, J.B. Daudu,
SAN, counsel to the first defendant, Dasuki, had initially kicked against the
prosecution’s request for consolidation of the cases, saying that it was
a ploy for the prosecution to continuously amend and delay the trial.’
Justice Baba-Yusuf said he
expected that parties should have met on this issue, after the last sitting in
July.
In view of this, both
the prosecution and the defence counsel appealed to Justice Baba-Yusuf to stand
down the matter for about 15 minutes to enable them meet and agree on the most
appropriate way of resolving the matter.
When the case was called
again, Daudu told the court that they (prosecution and defence) had agreed to
meet with the Chief Judge of the court, Justice I.U. Bello, on the possibility
of consolidating the two cases.
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