Chairman EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde

Ike Abonyi in Abuja

Justice Agatha Anulika Okeke of the Federal High Court sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa State has fixed November 19, for the arraignment of the former state Governor, Aliyu Akwe Doma and six others.

The seven accused persons are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 17-count criminal charge of laundering the state funds totalling over N15 billion.

Others accused persons being charged alongside Doma who was arraigned on October 18, 2011, are Senator John Dangoyi, Abdulmumin Jibrin, Timothy Anthony Anjide, Dauda Egwa, Suleiman Ibrahim, Broworks Limited and Green Forest Investment Limited. 
A statement from the commission’s spokesman Wilson Uwujaren, said the fresh arraignment followed the recent transfer of Federal High Court judges which affected the former trial judge, Justice Marcel Awokulehin.

At the resumed hearing of the case on October 24, Justice Okeke announced that the case would start afresh, which is usually the case for any criminal matter starting before a new judge.

But before adjourning proceedings, one of the defence counsel, S.I. Ameh, (SAN), challenged the representative of the duo, Sesan Ola and John Ovie from the chambers of Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), as prosecution counsel.

He argued that the Attorney General of the Federation’s (AGF) fiat in respect of the case was issued to Pinheiro in person and was therefore not transferable.

Ola however countered, arguing that the fiat issued to Kemi Pinheiro’s chamber covers any lawyer from the chamber until the final determination of the case.

The judge, while adjourning the case, urged the prosecution counsel to produce the fiat as evidence of the document as issued by the AGF which was not available in any of the court file.