Alleged N2bn fraud: Court adjourns FG’s case against Oronsaye till Nov 14
Mr Steve Oronsaye
Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday adjourned till November 14, 2017, for the first prosecution witness to give further evidence in the case of alleged N2 billion fraud preferred against a former Head of Service of the Fedration (HoS), Mr Steve Oronsaye , by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Oronsaye, who is standing trial along with Osarenkhoe Afe, managing director, Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited, is alleged to be complicit in several contract awards during his tenure as Head of Service.
The witness, Roukayya Ibrahim, an EFCC operative and member of the anti-graft agency’s Pension Fraud team was away to Botswana for a short course and so was absent at Tuesday’s proceeding.
The prosecution, led by O. A. Atolagbe, had informed the court via a letter of the absence of the witness and requested for a new date.
“My Lord, the witness will also not be available by the 7th of November as the course she went for in Botswana has been extended for two weeks,” he said, urging the court for a later date.
Counsel for Oronsaye, Ade Okeaya-Inneh (SAN), and Oluwole Aladedoye, counsel for Afe and Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited, did not raise any objections for the request for an adjournment by the prosecution.
Earlier in the course of proceeding, Aladedoye drew the attention of the court to what he termed, “media trial” of the defendants,”
Aladedoye said. “We seek your lordship’s protection by way of an order restraining the EFCC from interfering in this case by way of media of calumny”.
Atolagbe, however, told the court that he was seeing the said publications, which the defendants’ counsel complained of for the first time, stressing that since the trial began in July 2015, “there has never been an issue with reporting of proceedings in court”.
The trial Judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, who noted that he was also seeing the reports for the first time, however, stressed that: “I won’t make any order until I have read through the reports myself, and will give my decision at the next adjourned date.”