PEOPLES GAZETTE
The absence of a defence counsel in the FCT High Court on Monday stalled the trial of suspended Accountant-General of the Federation Ahmed Idris and three others.
Mr Idris was dragged before Justice Yusuf Halilu by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alongside Geoffrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman, and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited.
EFCC dragged them on a 14-count charge, alleging that they fraudulently diverted public funds to the tune of N109.5 billion.
At the resumed hearing on Monday, the EFCC prosecuting counsel, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, informed the court that the matter was slated for commencement of trial-within-trial ordered by the court at the last sitting on November 23, 2022.
The matter could not go on as Chris Uche, SAN, the counsel for Mr Idris, sent in a letter notifying the court that he was attending a pre-election case before the Appeal Court in Jos.
He, therefore, sought an adjournment.
Justice Halilu adjourned the case until March 1 for trial-within-trial.
At the last sitting in November 2022, counsel for the defendants objected to the tendering of the statements made by their clients at the EFCC.
The prosecution had sought to tender them through the first prosecution witness, Hayatudeen Ahmed, an operative with the anti-graft agency.
