Justice Agatha Anulika Okeke of the Federal High Court sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa State has fixed November 19, 2012, for the arraignment of the former Nasarawa state governor, Aliyu Akwe Doma and six others being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a 17 count criminal charge of laundering state funds totaling over N15 billion.
Others accused persons being tried 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.
The fresh arraignment followed the recent transfer of Federal High Court judges which affected former trial judge, Justice Marcel Awokulehin.
At the resumed hearing of the case on October 24, 2012, Justice Okeke announced that the case will start Denovo ,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 representation of the duo of Barristers 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 fiat in respect of the case was issued to Kemi Pinheiro in person and therefore not transferable. Ola however countered, as he argued 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 Attorney General of the Federation was not available in any of the court records.
