The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday filed a suit before the Federal High Court Bauchi against the Ex Deputy Governor of the state, Babayo Gamawa, for alleged conspiracy and money laundering worth N500 million.
Others sued by the anti-graft agency are former Secretaries to the State Government, SSGs, Aminu Hammayo, Ahmed Dandija and three other chieftains of the PDP in the state.
According to the commission, the accused persons illegally received the sum of N500 million sometime in 2015 from the then Minister of Petroleum Diezani Allison Madueke before the election with a view to allegedly facilitating victory for the party in the State.
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Other PDP Chieftains accused of involvement in the alleged money laundering are: Aliyu Abdullahi Jalam, Dahiru Madaki and Sunusi Isah.
Our Correspondent reports that all the accused persons, except Ahmed Dandija who was the sixth dependants in the case, were present at the court.
The prosecution counsel led by Abubakar Aliyu requested the court to allow the arraignment of the suspects to proceed even without the presence of the sixth dependant as well as issue arrest warrant against Mr Dandija for failing to appear in the court.
While Counsel to the absentee, Nasir Balan-Malami, claimed that his client was sick, appealed to the court to adjourn hearing until when he fully regains his health and strength.
Mr Balan-Malami added that aside being ill, the summon letter was only served to them in the court arguing that his client needed ample time to know about the case and prepare his defence.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the presiding judge, Mohamed Shitu, had after listening to the arguments of all parties took a two hour break to ponder on whether to continue or postpone arraignment of the accused persons.
But when he later resumed, Mr Shitu adjourned arraignment to September 25th 2018 and ordered that Mr Dandija must appear before the Court on the date even as he declined the EFCC’s application for the issuance of arrest warrant against the absentee.
