N5b Fraud: Court Fails To Deliver Ruling On Ex-Enugu State Governor, Nnamani's Case

N5b Fraud: Court Fails To Deliver Ruling On Ex-Enugu State Governor, Nnamani's Case 

Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday failed to deliver ruling on an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) seeking to separate the trial of former governor of Enugu State, Dr Chimaroke Nnamani from that of his co-accused. 

The EFCC had filed the application to address what it described as 'judicial scandal' and lack of progress in the case which has been on for seven years.

When the case came up for hear on Tuesday, Justice Yunusa informed parties that the ruling was not ready  and subsequently adjourned the matter till January 23, 2015 for ruling.

The anti-graft agency arraigned Nnamani and seven other on a 105 count charge for allegedly laundering various sums of money to the tune of N5 billion belonging to the state through secret account while they were in office.

Nnamani and others are also being prosecuted for conspiring to launder various statutory allocations of five local government areas of Enugu State, Aninri, Enugu South, Agwu, Igbo Etiti and Isi Uzor.

The other accused are: Sunday Anyaogu, Rainbownet (Nig) Ltd, Hillgate (Nig) Ltd, Cosmos Fm, Capital City Automobile (Nig) Ltd, Renaissance University Teaching Hospital and Mea Mater Elizabeth High School.

The case, which started in 2007 has not gone to trial because of various interlocutory applications filed by the accused persons over the years.

The EFCC 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.

In the application which was brought pursuant to Section 155 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 2004, the EFCC is praying the court to allow the trial of Nnamani and his former aide, Sunday Onyekazur Anyaogu, to be conducted separately from the six companies charged along with them.

The anti-graft agency had submitted that the application became necessary owing to the need for a speedy conclusion to be arrived at in respect
of the assets and liabilities of the companies, which are corporate entities, as the said assets may become obsolete and seriously eroded if the companies were not separately tried.

However, counsel to Nnamani, Ricky Tarfa (SAN) argued if the court should grant the application it would affect fair trial of his client.

Tarfa also insisted that contrary to EFCC's allegations, Nnamani had always made
himself available for trial after the completion of each phase of medical treatment abroad.

The lawyer further stressed that on many occasions, the matter had been adjourned at the instance of the EFCC, and so it was untrue that he (Nnamani) had been using the medical trips to delay the matter.

He maintained that the accused would be severely prejudiced if the application is granted, and that no assets would be eroded as canvassed by the EFCC.