The Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar has on Wednesday refused to stop further hearing of the suit filed against former Minister of Aviation, Babalola Borishade, and four others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Babalola Borishade, the former minister of Aviation, his former personal assistant, Tunde Dairo, and two others were alleged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to have mismanaged the sum of N5.2 billion Aviation Safe Tower Contract fund.
First arraigned on a 15-count charge of taking bribe and forging aviation contract documents on November 19, 2009, Borishade, the three alongside former Managing Director of Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, Rowland Iyayi; an Australian, George Eider and Avsatel Communications Ltd were supposed to appear in court on Wednesday February 3, 2016 but could not go as planned as the Attorney General of the Federation requested a brief on the case since the matter had been in court for 7 years.
The EFCC, upon AGF’s request updated his office with the brief of the case, including the proceedings that had transpired over the time period.
The counsel to the first defendant, Kehinde Ogunwumiju and Regina Okotie Eboh representing the 4 and 5 defendants had earlier requested the court to suspend the case based on ‘lack of diligence’ on the Prosecution’s part, a request which was vehemently tackled by the counsel to the EFCC, Chile Okoroma.
Justice Umar, ruling on the application for suspension of the case said the withdrawal of a lawyer from a private firm from a case does not translate into abandonment or lack of appearance of the prosecution and therefore, based on this reason denied the defendant’s application and ordered the continuation of the proceeding.
Counsel to the first defendant however requested an adjournment of the case which was granted by Justice Umar who adjourned the case till 7th of March, 2016.