The corruption trial of former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Vincent Ogbulafor and two others at the FCT High Court, was on Tuesday stalled again following the absence of the Justice Ishang Bello, the trial judge in the case.
Clerk of the court, Salisu Idache informed counsel to ICPC, Adegboyega Awomolo and the defence team at the resumed hearing of the case that Justice Bello was still away on national assignment.
The case was therefore adjourned to April 29.A similar adjournment had occurred following such announcement that the judge was recently appointed Chairman of the Anambra Election Petition Tribunal. The case had several times suffered due to the judge’s absence.
Ogbulafor is standing trial alongside Jude Nwokolo and Emeka Ebilah, as they are being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on a 17-count charge bordering on fraud involving N107 million.
The case had earlier been adjourned for his counsel to address the court, but this had not been possible due to the judge’s national assignment.
The anti-corruption agency had, in the allegations against the former PDP chairman, claimed that while in office as Minister of State for Special Duties in 2001, the accused connived with the other co-accused to float three fictitious companies with which they perpetrated the alleged fraud.
The ICPC said they used Henrichiko Nig. Ltd., DHL Consultants and Chekwas Industries to obtain N82.6 million, N11.5 million and N6.2 million respectively in 2001.
As the head of the National Economic Intelligence Committee, Ogbulafor allegedly used his position to influence the passage of several forged documents as genuine.
He was also said to have relied on the forged documents to certify that the three fake companies successfully executed jobs worth N104 million, an offence which contravened the provisions of Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000 and which stipulates five years imprisonment where an accused is found guilty.
