THE trial of former Aviation Minister, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, on a N26 million corruption charge was, on Tuesday, stalled when witnesses billed to testify against him failed to appear at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, where the former minister is being prosecuted.
None of the 12 witnesses proposed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to give evidence against the ex-minister showed up at the resumed trial on Tuesday.
Counsel for the anti-graft agency, Johnson Ojogbane, told the trial judge, Justice John Tsoho, that he was surprised that the witnesses were not in court in spite of being notified of the trial.
Ojogbane applied to the court for an adjournment to enable him to put his house in order by contacting the witnesses afresh.
Counsel for the former minister, Ahmed Raji, did not object to the request for the adjournment, prompting Justice Tsoho to reschedule the trial for April 7.
The Federal Government, through the EFCC, accused Fani-Kayode of receiving through his police aide, one Victor Ehiabhi, the cash sum of N26 million paid to him by the former Director of Finance and Administration (DFA) of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Shuaibu Salisu, on the instruction of the former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd).
Ehiabhi and Salisu had, in their written statements, admitted paying the money to Fani-Kayode in cash.
The prosecution said Fani-Kayode handled the cash without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act.
Fani-Kayode, who was the Director of Media and Publicity in the campaign organisation of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, is also standing trial on a 17-count charge of money laundering before a Federal High Court in Lagos.
He is being tried in Lagos with a former Finance Minister, Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm, Joint Trust Dimension Nig. Ltd.
They are charged with unlawful retention, use and payment of money to the tune of N4.9 billion.
Fani-Kayode, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against him.