|
|
Nigeria: N300m Scam - EFCC Wants Bench Warrant Against Iyabo
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
This Day (Lagos)
16 May 2008
Posted to the web 16 May 2008
Funso Muraina
Abuja
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has asked an Abuja high court, to issue a bench warrant against Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, to compel her attendance in court on May 19.
Her attendance will enable the court to take her plea in a charge of corruption preferred against her.
Iyabo was alleged to be holding on to N10 million out of the N300 million Ministry of Health's unspent fund.
Justice Salishu Garba fixed May 19 for ruling on an application by Iyabo, seeking for an order voiding two of the 56-count charge affecting her on one hand, and a separate order restraining EFCC from arresting, harassing and arraigning her over the matter.
The judge will also pronounce on whether or not the request by EFCC to issue bench warrant against her ahead determination of her application challenging the competence of the charge against her was proper or not.
The fixing of the ruling yesterday by the trial judge, followed the adoption of written arguments by counsel to both EFCC and Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, on the competence of the charge against her.
The trial judge, Justice Garba had on Tuesday, threatened to revoke its order stopping her arraignment over the N300million scam at the Federal Ministry of Health, if she further delayed adoption of written arguments on the competence of the charge preferred against her by the EFCC.
Last Monday was fixed for the adoption of the written briefs.
But when the matter came up for the purpose, EFCC asked for extension of time within which to file its brief, having filed it five days late.
Because EFCC defaulted, the chambers of Afe Babalola, SAN, representing Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, said there was no way it could file its own and had to beg for 24 hours extension of time.
The court granted Iyabo's request and thereafter fixed Tuesday for the adoption of written briefs. But when the court sat on Tuesday, Iyabo came with a motion asking for further extension of time to file her written brief.
According to Mr Bankole Akomolafe from Chief Afe Babalola's Chambers, the draft copy of the brief was ready but his principal wanted to vet it before filing it in court. He asked for an adjournment till Thursday, when he hoped he would have filed his papers.
His request enraged EFCC's counsel, Mr Binang, who alleged that Iyabo wanted to frustrate her arraignment in court next Monday. He said though he was not opposing his request for further extension of time, if the court would not be able to
determine the applications by Iyabo stalling her arraignment, he would want the court to revoke its earlier order to the effect that Iyabo would not be arraigned until determination of her applications.
|
The court will rule on whether or not Iyabo would face trial next Monday.
Justice Salishu Garba, Nigeria wants to know what the heck is going on in your court room. How could your court continue to rule on fugitive who has willfully showed disregard to your court by refusing to bring her fat self to the court?
If Iyabo was a common person on the street would you be circumventing court procedures? Please for Nigeria sake go ahead and issue the damn warrant against this lawless shameless and fugitive first daughter. We have had it from you all and it is time to do the people's work and not for who appointed... [Read Full Text]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
