*Bawa in court for continuation of examination-in-chief
The absence of the lawyer to Abubakar Ali Peters and his firm , Nadabo Energy Limited, over an alleged N1.4bn oil fraud, on Tuesday, stalled further hearing in the alleged N1.4billion oil subsidy fraud before Justice S.S. Ogunsanya of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, Lagos.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is prosecuting Peters and his company on a 21-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretence, diversion of Federal Government funds and forgery.
The trial, which began in October 2015, was slated to continue on Tuesday, with the Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, in court to continue with his testimony as the second prosecution witness.
But the defendant, who was present in court, informed the court that he had been unable to reach his lawyer on the phone.
He said: “My Lord, my lawyer is flying in from Kaduna to Lagos for the case, and must have been airborne.”
The prosecuting EFCC lawyer, Mr S.K. Atteh, however, drew the attention of the court to the fact that the case had suffered several adjournments at the instance of the defence, saying that “the EFCC Chairman came all the way from Abuja leaving his enormous responsibilities to continue with his examination-in-chief.”
The case was briefly stood down to allow time for the lawyer to be present in court. But when the matter was later called, Peters informed the Court that he was still unable to reach his lawyer on the phone, saying that “I called the principal and he said he would get back to me. But he is yet to do so.”
Justice Ogunsanya later adjourned the matter to September 22, for the continuation of the trial.
