EFCC vs Shema others, court adjourned to Nov. 14

A Katsina High court has adjourned sitting to November 14, 2017 on its current hearing of the alleged N10 billion corruption suit brought against former governor of the state, Ibrahim Shema and three others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The adjournment was to allow an Appeal Court give its verdict on Shema’s appeal motion which hearing has been fixed for November 9, 2017.

The High Court Judge, Justice Maikaita Bako, said he had no option than to give the new adjournment date having listened to Shema’s counsel and his counterpart from the EFCC, confirming the new date for the commencement of the hearing at the appelant court.

EFCC lead counsel, Ahmed Elmarzuk who is also the Katsina state Attorney General, had informed the court of the November hearing date for Shema’s motion before the appeal court.

He also informed the court that the EFCC had written a letter to the upper court seeking that the hearing date be moved forward.

”Your lordship, we are here today to honour you court’s directive that we should be here. Commencement of the hearing at the Appeal court has however been shifted again to November”, he said.

“We have writen the Appeal court Registrar, urging for the November date to be moved forward.It is in that premise that, we urge your court to also adjourn this matter to November with a rider that if the case is heard earlier, we also urge your lordship to move forward the adjournment date,” he added.

Confirming the EFCC’s revelation on the new hearing date at the Appeal court, Shema’s lead counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde,SAN, pleaded that the high court either adjourns to 9 February, 2018 or indefinitely (sine dine).

He told the court that, On the 23rd, March, 2017, the lordship ordered that we should report back today(Tuesday) in respect of the hearing slated for 25th May, 2017 at the Appeal court. The matter came up on that day before the court of Appeal. I have the Certified True Copy of the proceeding in the court on that day.

“The Appeal court adjourned hearing of the appeal to 9th November, 2017. It is on record. Our position is that the earliest time that the verdict would be given on the appeal is three months after 9 November, 2017.It is speculation for any date to be suggested earlier than that. It is in line with this that we are suggesting that your lordship adjourns to 9 February,2018 or sine dine”, he posited.

“And as your brother, late Justice Nikky Tobi once observed, the wheel of justice may be slow, it will definitely get to its destination. And nobody has any right to push it”, Shema’s added.

Justice Bako consequently adjourned sitting to 14 November, 2017, declaring that, ’’having listened to arguments from both counsel, I hereby adjourn sitting to 14, November , 2017 for parties to report the appeal court verdict to this court.”

It would be recalls that Shema and three other accused persons are standing trial before Justice Bako over corruption related charges brought against them by the EFCC.

The other three are former state commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Sani Makana, former permanent secretary in the ministry, Lawal Safana and former state ALGON Chairman, Lawal Dankaba .All the accused were present in court.

It is also recalled that the EFCC had on 21/2/17, slammed a 22- count charge against the four accused persons. This was shortly after the judge ruled that the organization(EFCC) can initiate trial of any person in a matter relating to financial and economic matter in any court in Nigeria.

In the 1st charge, the former governor and the three other accused persons were charged of conspiracy to defraud the state.

While on the 2nd to 8th charges alleged that Shema and the three other accused persons converted over ten billion naira(N10,834,043.000) to personal use under various spurious projects including falsely claiming that the money is used for security in the 34 local government areas.

For the 9th to 11th charges, former state commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Sani Makana, former permanent secretary in the ministry, Lawal Safana and former state ALGON Chairman, Lawal Dankaba were accused of using Shema’s memo on a meeting with the council chairmen then, for their selfish purpose while in the 12th to 22nd charges, only the former state former ALGON chairman, Lawal Dankaba was alleged of forgery of vouchers.

All the four accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges which the EFCC said, were contrary to the various laws of Katsina state.