Witness’s absence stalls ex-PDP chairman’s son’s trial over alleged subsidy fraud
When the case was called on Friday, EFCC counsel, Seidu Atteh, informed the court that one of the witnesses was indisposed and the other had flight issues.
A file photo of EFCC officials. [Punch]
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Ali is standing trial alongside one Christian Taylor and Nasaman Oil Services Ltd. on a 49-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences, obtaining money by false pretences, forgery and use of false document.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty during re-arraignment on March 24, 2023.
The charge was preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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They were initially charged before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo but the judge withdrew from the case on health grounds.
This prompted the re-assignment of the case to Justice Mojisola Dada of an Ikeja Special Offences Court.
When the case was called on Friday, EFCC counsel, Seidu Atteh, informed the court that one of the witnesses was indisposed and the other had flight issues.
He prayed for an adjournment.
There was no objection by defence counsel, Kolade Obafemi.
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Dada adjourned the trial until March 25.
The anti-graft agency, in one of the counts, alleged that the defendants, with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain ₦750 million from the Federal Government by falsely representing subsidy accruing to Nasaman Oil Services Ltd. under the Petroleum Support Fund for importation of 10,031,986 litres of Premium Motor Spirit which Nasaman Oil Services Ltd. purported to have purchased from SEATAC Petroleum Ltd. of British Virgin Islands and imported into Nigeria through MT Liquid Fortune Ltd.
The commission said that the defendants knew that the representation was false.
According to EFCC, the defendants committed the offences with one Oluwaseun Ogunbambo and one Olabisi Abdul-Afeez, still at large, on April 11, 2011, and Nov. 9, 2011, in Ikeja.
The alleged offences contravene Sections 1(3), 8 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006, and Sections 363 (3)(1) and 264 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
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