11th May, 2015
Akin Kuponiyi
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, has adjourned till 19 May 2015, to enable the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s prosecutor, Mr Kelvin Uzozie, seeking separate trial of a former Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, from other defendants in a money laundering suit filed against him to file a separate charge.
When the matter was mentioned on Monday, Uzozie told the court that based on the ruling of the court granting separate trial of the accused former Enugu State governor from other accused persons, he needed time to file separate new charges.
He, therefore, asked the court for short adjournment.
The defence counsel, Mr Ricky Tarfa, did not raise any objection. Consequently the presiding judge Mohammed Yinusa granted the adjournment.
Other accused persons in the criminal matter are his former aide, Sunday Onyekazur Anyaogu, and his six companies, which are; Rainbownet Nigeria Limited, Hillgate Nigeria Limited, Cosmo FM, Capital City Automobile (Nig) Limited, Renaissance University Teaching Hospital (Renaissance University) and Mea Mater Elizabeth High School.
The trial of Nnamani began in 2007.
The anti-graft agency had in the application urged the court to separate Nnamani from other accused persons so that his frequent medical trips abroad would no longer stall the trial of other accused persons.
The judge, while granting EFCC’s application, agreed that there is a need for the separation of the trial to avoid further delay in the determination of the matter.
The separation, according to the judge, will also not run contrary to the spirit of the Practice Direction of the Federal High Court rules.
Based on the ruling of the court, EFCC’s lawyer, Kevin Uzozie, sought for an adjournment to enable the Commission regularise the processes to reflect the latest development.