We don’t want Lai Mohammed as witness, defendants tell Court

Andrew Orolua, Abuja

Defendants in the case of alleged misapplication of N2.5 billion federal government digital switch-over programme have objected to the application by the prosecution to present former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed as a witness in court.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) is prosecuting the Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Ishaq Kawu in a Federal High Court, Abuja, for alleged abuse of office and money laundering

The commission had filed a 12-count charge before Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo-Giwa, against Kawu, Lucky Omoluwa and Dipo Onifade, the chairman and chief operating officer of Pinnacle Communications Limited respectively.

In a motion filed before the court, Alex Izinyon (SAN), counsel to Omoluwa and Onifade, opposed the listing of the former minister and Shuaibu Sabo as additional witnesses in the trial as requested by the anti-graft body.

In the motion, the defendants are seeking the court order, “disallowing the complainant/respondent to lead and use the additional list of witness of Lai Mohammed filed on June 2 at the continuation of hearing of this criminal proceeding or any other date whatsoever.”

It will be recalled that the anti-graft body had said that the former minister will serve as a prosecution witness in the alleged N2.5 billion fraud trial.

At the resumed hearing of the trial, lawyers to the ICPC, Henry Emore and E. A. Shogunle reminded the court of their application to call the two additional witnesses, Mohammed and Sabo.

Shogunle said that they have filed a counter -affidavit to the motion by the defendants opposing their requests to call Mohammed and Sabo as additional witnesses.

On his part, Iziyon said the motion was not ripe for hearing because he would be filing a reply on point of law to the prosecution’s counter -affidavit.

Meanwhile, Justice Ogunbanjo-Giwa has reprimanded the ICPC for disobeying the order of court regarding the application by the defendants seeking release of their travelling passports.

The second and third defendants had filed the application seeking the release of their international passports to enable them travel abroad for official functions.

The judge, who expressed displeasure over failure of the prosecution to file the report of the verification, stood down the case for the lawyer to do so, adding that she cannot continue with the case while the prosecution was in disobedience of the court order.

The judge resumed the case about two hours after the prosecution had complied with the order and uion resumption, the defendants took fresh plea of not guilty to the amended charges brought against them by the prosecution.

Justice Ogunbanjo-Giwa adjourned the case until July 4 to hear motions on the release of the defendants’ passports and that challenging the listing of Mohammed and Sabo as additional prosecution witnesses