Dasuki delaying N19bn fraud trial – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday accused a former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, of filing applications with the intent to stall his ongoing trial over the diversion of over N19bnat an FCT High Court in Abuja.

The EFCC had on January 24 re-arraigned Dasuki alongside a former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa,a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, a former Director of Finance at the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, Bafarawa’s son, Sagir Attahiru and Bafarawa’s firm, Dalhatu Investment Limited. The court thereafter fixed commencement of trial for yesterday.

It however could not hold after the counsel to Dasuki, Mr. Raji Ahmed (SAN), told the court that it would amount to waste of time to commence trial without resolving the application (to consolidate the charge with the other charge against Dasuki before the same court) he filed on Thursday, February 23, 2017.

Counsel to EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN),said since 2015, they had not been able to commence trial.

“The intention (with the application) is clear, it is just to stall the case. The second defendant (Dasuki) just wants to try his luck by filing the application. This should not be a legal gamble,” he said.

He urged the court to condemn and reject the implication of the application not to commence trial as earlier agreed.

However, Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf held that the court could not leave the application behind as if they had not seen it.

With the agreement of all the counsel, he adjourned the case to March 2, 2017 for hearing on the application for consolidation of charges.

The EFCC in the 22-count charge accused the six defendants of diverting over N19bn belonging to the federal government from the accounts of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC). They pleaded not guilty to all the counts.