A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja today refused a notice of motion by fraud suspect, Fred Ajudua, asking to stay his trial or suspend it till future.
A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja today refused a notice of motion by fraud suspect, Fred Ajudua, asking to stay his trial or suspend it till future.
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Ajudua's lawyer, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, announced that he had new applications at a Lagos Division of the Appeals Court. He began asking to use the basis of the motion he filed at the Appeal Court just yesterday, to stop the proceedings of his client in an alleged $8.4million fraud from beginning on Tuesday.
Mr. Ajudua allegedly received the sum from a former Chief of Army Staff, Retired General Ishaya Bamaiyi, in order to help the later 'settle' a judge, Olubunmi Oyewole, in a matter that involved the Retired General. Ajudua was said to be in detention at the Kirikiri maximum prison, when Ishaya Bamaiyi consulted him, and others, who are still at large. Some say this move was made to help him ‘pervert justice’ in a case before the judge, Olubunmi Oyewole.
Ajudua had allegedly claimed he was close to the judge in question, and had received the sum of $8.4million while in detention. It was made as a claim of professional fees for Afe Babalola, who was set to handle the matter, and also part of a fee to help the judge pay hospital bills for his ailing father.
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Objecting to Ajudua's notice of a motion at the appeals court however, the EFCC counsel pointed out that it was ‘a tactic to divert’ the court process.
The prosecution counsel said the business of the court as scheduled for Tuesday was for the defendant to only take his plea on the charges.
The EFCC said taking plea in a proceeding will have ‘no effect with motions the defendants had just filed’ at the Appeal Court.
"They know what they are doing. They just want to disturb this trial. After all, we are not taking judgment today, and it will not interfere with what you have at the Court of Appeals. The only business today is just for the defendant to hear the charges, and take his plea", the EFCC told the court.
The counsel also noted that even in a case where judgment is to be handed down, the option of an appeal would be open to the defendant.
Last week, when the proceeding was initially billed to commence, the defendant's lawyer had in a similar manner told the court his client ‘did not know the content of the charges and could not take a plea to them. The presiding judge, Oluwatoyin Ipaye, had observed that the defendant's lawyer was up to something.
Even though Ajudua's lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, had opposed the charges last week and said, counts 2 to 12 of the charges were repetitions, he later claimed his client was not aware of the same charges he debated.
The judge then observed; "How then did you come about the objections you raised if you are not familiar with the charges?"
After the ploy was detected last week, the judge gave Ajudua a grace time till Tuesday to 'familiarize' himself with the charges.
Rather than prepare for his defense in the trial, however, Ajudua's went to file a fresh application at the Appeals Court, apparently to stop the trial of his client from commencing at all.
The judge, Mrs. Ipaye, refused Ajudua's request for a stay of proceeding, and asked him to take his plea.
Ajudua pleaded not guilty to all 14 counts in the charges.
The judge adjourned the case to the 8th of April for hearing on his application for bail.
Mr. Fred Ajudua is also facing other trials, in particular, a $1.8million fraud charge in which he allegedly defrauded two Dutch businessmen in a case that dates back to 2003.
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