The authorized staff of former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam, on Wednesday sought the permission of the Federal Excessive Court docket, Abuja, to file a “no-case” submission anticipating a ruling on the alleged N3.1 billion fraud case instituted in opposition to him by the {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee (EFCC) since 2015.
The defence staff made the oral utility earlier than Justice Peter Lifu after counsel for the EFCC, O.A. Atolagbe, knowledgeable the court docket that the Fee had closed its case in opposition to the ex-governor and one other defendant.
The EFCC had in 2023 concluded its case in opposition to Suswam earlier than Justice Ahmed Mohammed.
However the matter commenced afresh earlier than Justice Peter Lifu.
Nairametrics beforehand reported in 2015 that the EFCC had arrested Suswam over corruption allegations throughout his administration.
Suswam, alongside his then Commissioner for Finance, Omodachi Okolobia, is dealing with an 11-count amended cost of N3.1 billion cash laundering.
The EFCC alleged, amongst different issues, that the funds fashioned a part of the proceeds from the sale of the state authorities’s shares, held on its behalf by the Benue Funding and Property Firm Restricted, and offered by means of Elixir Securities Restricted and Elixir Funding Companions Restricted.
The ex-governor and his co-defendant pleaded not responsible to the costs, paving the way in which for trial.
Throughout the trial, the EFCC fielded a number of witnesses, together with a bureau de change operator, Abubakar Umar, who testified that in 2014 he transformed the sum of N3.1 billion, allegedly wired to him by Suswam as governor, and delivered its equal of $15.8 million in money to Suswam at his Maitama, Abuja residence.
“In mild of this, the primary defendant believes that the fitting step to take now could be to make a no-case submission.
“We due to this fact are asking the court docket for 14 days, whether it is handy, to make our submission,” a defence counsel stated, with Erokoro making the identical line of submission for Okolobia.
Nairametrics reviews that Gabriel Suswam was the Benue State governor from Might 2007 to Might 2015 and has been embroiled in allegations of public fund looting.
Earlier than the matter in opposition to Suswam was assigned to Justice Lifu, the case had been dealt with by totally different judges, particularly Justice A.R. Mohammed and later Justice Okon Abang, following their respective elevations to the Court docket of Appeal.
