A Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday fixed April 4 to April 11 for the continuation of trial of a former Acting Director-General of NIMASA, Haruna Jauro, charged with N304.1 million fraud.
The case which was earlier fixed for the defence to continue its testimony in a trial-within-trial could not proceed on Wednesday as the court did not sit.
Jauro, who acted as DG at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He is standing trial alongside Dauda Bawa and Thlumbau Enterprises Ltd on a 19-count charge bordering on fraud.
The accused, who were arraigned on April 12, 2016, had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the court had admitted them to bail in the sum of N5 million each with two sureties each in like sum.
On Feb. 3, EFCC prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, had called his first witness, Mr Orji Chukwuma, who narrated how some monies were allegedly converted to personal use by the accused.
Oyedepo had sought to tender a written statement of the accused as evidence, but was opposed by defence counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo, who argued that the statements were not voluntarily obtained.
Ojo urged the court to order a trial-within-trial to determine if the statements were voluntarily obtained by the commission.
Justice Mojisola Olatoregun consequently ordered a trial-within-trial.
The prosecution opened its case in the trial-within-trial on Feb. 21, and at the last adjourned date on March 3, it closed its case while the defence opened its case and called on its witness.
A defence witness, Mr Dankuku Galadima, who introduced himself as a legal practitioner of 10 years standing, said the first accused approached him sometime in 2016, seeking his legal assistance in relation to his EFCC matter.
He told the court that he informed the accused that he was “unavailable” at the moment as he was handling the brief of a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu.
He said he, however, assisted the accused in securing the legal representation of one Peter Achuneni, who accompanied the accused to the commission.
The witness said he was not always physically present with the accused at all invitations by the EFCC, but that the accused was represented by a counsel.
Justice Olatoregun will now resume trial-within-trial on April 4 to 6 and April 11.
Jauro and others were alleged to have conspired to defraud NIMASA of N304.1 million between January 2014 and September 2015.
The anti-graft agency alleged that the accused converted the money to their private use, an offence which it said contravened the provisions of Section 15(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012. (NAN)
UNS/DA