The trial of Adeniyi Adeyemi, who allegedly set up a fictitious presidential agency to obtain billions of naira from government, has been delayed after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) amended the charges against him.
At the resumed hearing on Monday before Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court, the ICPC’s counsel, Sylvanus Tahir (SAN), disclosed that the counts had been expanded from 22 to 36.
The prosecution also joined four other persons in the case: Aminu Abdullahi, Ogaba Harry, Florence Omameh and Patricia Akhigbe.
Tahir told the court that the commission was now prosecuting the case, which the police had initially instituted.
The sitting had been fixed for the hearing of Adeyemi’s bail application, but the amended charge meant that all the defendants had to take their pleas afresh.
This could not happen as Omameh was absent due to ill health.
“Her unavailability in court has constrained the prosecution from proceeding with the arraignment, this being a criminal charge,” Tahir said, citing Section 266 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, which requires defendants to be present in court.
He asked for a brief adjournment to enable her to recover.
Counsel to Adeyemi, Ibrahim Angulu (SAN), raised no objection, but drew the court’s attention to the long period his client had spent in custody.
The judge fixed November 18 for the defendants’ arraignment. He directed that Adeyemi be taken back to Kuje Correctional Centre and the others returned to ICPC custody.
