Justice C.A. Balogun of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, on Tuesday, adjourned the trial of the Chairman of Nadabo Energy Limited, Abubakar Ali Peters for an alleged N1.4bn fraud to November 18.
The judge adjourned the case because of the defendant’s absence in court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Peters and his company for alleged fraud and document falsification on December 10, 2012.
The commission alleged that Peters obtained the sum of N1.4 billion by false pretences, forgery and use of forged documents.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
At the last sitting on March 10 the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, testified as the fifth prosecution witness against the defendant.
During the proceedings, the prosecuting counsel, S.K. Atteh, had, through the witness, sought to tender in evidence Proforma Invoice, Commercial Invoice, letter of credit and other documents on the alleged fraudulent transaction.
However, the defence team led by E.O. Isiramen, raised objections to the admissibility of the documents, including the response from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to the EFCC.
At the resumed sitting on Tuesday, Joseph Wheisin, who represented the defence, told the court that the defendant was in isolation.
He said: “My client is in an isolation centre for COVID-19,” he said, as he also presented a document from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to support his claim.
Wheisin, therefore, prayed the court for an adjournment.
The prosecution did not object to the request for adjournment.
Thereafter, Justice Balogun told both parties about his intention to finish this case this year.
He urged both parties to ensure that there are no longer delays in the trial.
The judge adjourned the matter till November 16, 17 and 18 for the continuation of trial.
