A Federal High Court in Lagos, on Friday, fixed March 22 for the prosecution to present its witness in court in continuation of the money laundering trial of a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose.
The trial judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, told the prosecutor for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), to inform the witness that the court had ordered his presence in court on March 22.
Fayose is being prosecuted by the EFCC alongside a company, Spotless Investment Ltd., on 11 counts bordering on N6.9 billion alleged fraud and money laundering offences.
When the case was called on Friday, Jacobs appeared for the EFCC, while Messrs. Ola Olanipekun (SAN) and Olalekan Ojo (SAN), respectively, appeared for the first and second defendants.Jacobs told the court that his 13th witness, Mr Aliyu Madaki, who is to be cross-examined by the defence, was held up in Jos and unable to attend court.He also told the court that the witness was no longer an employee of the EFCC.Jacobs said the witness now resides in Nasarawa.
The prosecution informed the court that the witness had pleaded for another chance to be present on March 28, an already existing date given by the court.Jacobs, however, said he had just discovered that the court would be on Easter vacation by then, and he consequently, prayed for a further date.Meanwhile, the second defence counsel, Ojo, expressed displeasure at the absence of the witness, on the grounds that it showed great disrespect to the court.
Ojo insisted that whatever issues prevented the witness from attending court did not happen today, and so the prosecutor could not have kept silent till today before informing the counsel.
In support of this position, the first defence counsel, Olanipekun, also expressed dissatisfaction because the prosecutor ought to treat the matter with the importance it deserved and informed the counsel earlier.Although the prosecutor insisted that a date in March would not be sufficient for him to ensure the witness’s attendance, the judge told the prosecutor to inform the witness that it is an order from the court.
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