N5.1bn Armsgate: Court Adjourns Dudafa’s Trial To Feb 13 For Ruling
Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday adjourned further hearing in the trial of a former Senior Special Assistant to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on Domestic Affairs, Dr. Waripamo-Owei Dudafa, over alleged N5.1billion fraud to February 13.
The judge adjourned the case till the that to allow him rule on objection raised by Dudafa to the tendering of an exhibit by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC had arraigned Dudafa and one Iwejuo Joseph Nna (alias Taiwo A. Ebenezer and Olugbenga Isaiah) before Justice Mohammed Idris on a 23-count charge of conspiracy and concealment of crime proceeds.
They were accused of conspiring to conceal proceeds of crime amounting to over N1.6 billion on June 11, 2013.
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They, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Some of the companies allegedly used by the duo in committing the offences includes; Seagate Property Development & Investment Limited, Avalon Global Property Development Company Limited; Iwejuo Joseph Nna and Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited; Iwejuo Joseph Nna and Rotate Interlink Services Limited.
Others are; Ibejige Services Limited; DE Jakes Fast Food & Restaurant Nigeria Limited and Ebiwise Resources.
During yesterday’s proceedings, the counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, began the cross-examination of Dudafa in a trial-within-trial being conducted to determine whether or not his statements to the commission were voluntarily made.
In his response to one of the questions from the EFCC’s lawyer, Dudafa claimed he was never offered administrative bail by the EFCC while in its custody for 60 days.
He said: “I did not know whether or not I was offered administrative bail on the 18th of May, 2016. There was no time I was released on bail by the commission throughout the 60 days I was in detention”.
However, the EFCC’s lawyer tender a document allegedly signed by Dudafa when he was offered administrative bail by the agency. The document was admitted by the court as an exhibit.
Dudafa also maintained that he was never remanded in EFCC’s custody pursuant to a magistrate court’s order.
Oyedepo had asked him if he will be surprised to know that the commission actually secured an order from a magistrate court to detain him.
The proceedings was stalled following an objection raised by Dudafa’s lawyer to the admissibility of the remand order as an exhibit.
After listening to the submissions of both parties, Justice Idris adjourned to February 13 for ruling on the admissibility of the document and for continuation of trial-within-trial.