N13.3bn fraud: Absence of ex-NAF boss Umar’s Lawyer stalls trial

The absence of the lead defence counsel, Hassan Liman (SAN) at the Federal High Court Abuja, on Monday stalled the trial of the former Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Dikko Umar.

Umar is standing trial on a seven count charge bothering on money laundering and procurement fraud, an offence which contravenes Section 15(2) (b) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011, as amended.

When the matter came up on Monday before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal high court Abuja a member of the defence team A. U. Gaji, who announced appearance for the defendant informed the court that Liman was absence.

He said that the lead counsel was not in court because he is bereaved. He lost his sister and members of his family are in the process of her burial this morning, he said. The counsel prayed the court to adjourn the matter.

The prosecuting counsel, Slyvanus Tahir, who did not oppose to the adjournment, said he was informed about the development.

Tahir added that death is an act of nature which one cannot run from and he condoled with the defence family for their lost.

After listening to both parties, the trial judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, adjourned the matter until July 6 for continuation of hearing

It would be recalled that the former chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Dikko was arraigned by the Anti-graft Agency on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja on a seven-count charge bordering on money laundering, criminal breach of trust and corruption before it was reassigned to Justice Dimgba.

One of the charges reads: ‘‘That you , Air Marshall Mohammed Dikko Umar, whilst being the Chief of Air Staff, Nigerian Air Force between September 2010 to September 2012 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court directly converted the United States Dollar equivalent of the aggregate sum of N4,846,630,000,00 (Four Billion, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Six Million, Six Hundred and Thirty Thousand Naira) only removed from the accounts of the Nigerian Air force, when you reasonably ought to have known that the said funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act,2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.’