A Lagos State High Court judge today remanded high
profile fraud suspect, Fred Ajudua, in prison custody until June 24 2013. Justice Olubunmi Oyewole ordered that Mr. Ajudua
remain jail pending the commencement of his trial for defrauding two Dutch
businessmen, Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen, of $1.69 million between July 1999
and September 2000.
Mr. Ajudua appeared in court this morning after
several adjournments by his lawyers in the alleged fraudulent deal, where Mr.
Ajudua was accused of impersonating the Auditor-General of Nigeria, Isa Audu.
Three years after his 2003 arraignment, Mr. Ajudua
was granted bail on medical grounds in March 2006. He had told the court
afterwards that he was receiving treatment at Grant Medical Foundation, Pane,
India in October 2006. Since then, he has failed to make any court appearance.
At every court session since his “medical” bail was
approved; Mr. Ajudua had submitted a letter of medical excuse
signed by Dr. M.O. Mabayoje of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
Besides, his defense counsel, Olalekan Ojo, became notorious for appearing in
court to make incessant requests for adjournments. “There is no doubt that
Chief Ajudua and his lawyer want to use the tactics of endless adjournments to
make sure that the case would fizzle out over time,” said a source close to the
prosecutors.
On Monday May 22nd, however, Justice Oyewole, who
was presiding over the case, rejected further requests for adjournment. He
fixed today, June 11 2013 for resumption of trial.
Although Mr. Ajudua’s lawyer had told the court
severally that his client was undergoing treatment for renal artery stenosis he
appeared today in court looking healthy.
Also, Ajudua lawyers today pleaded to the
judge to let their client be remanded at the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission detention facility, but the judge rejected the request and ordered
that Mr. Ajudua be remanded at a public prison until the next adjourned
date-June 24th 2013.
Ajudua, a lawyer by training is widely
known as one of the originators of the Nigerian popular scam " 419".
Source: Channels TV
No comments:
Post a Comment