The federal government will amend the 11-count criminal charge it preferred against Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the Federal High Court, Abuja and his wife, Olabowale.
Mr. Ademola was among the seven judges arrested after a sting operation by the State Security Service, SSS, in October last year.
Counsel to the Nigerian government, Segun Jegede, told the court on Monday that the charge would also be amended to include Mr. Joe Agi, SAN, as the third defendant in the case.
Mr. Agi was alleged to have offered gratifications to Justice Ademola, including a car gift worth N8.5 million.
He said Justice Ademola and his wife conspired and also received N30 million gratification from Mr. Agi, SAN, and Associates between March 11 and March 26, 2015.
The defendants had in applications through their lead counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN and Roberts Clarke, SAN, prayed the trial court to accelerate their trial.
The trial judge, Justice Jude Okeke, had initially adjourned till January 18 for government to open its case against the defendants by calling its witnesses and adducing evidence against them.
However, the defendants said they would prefer an abridgement of the time to give expeditious disposal of the matter, citing section 396 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.
The prosecution counsel did not oppose the application.
Justice Okeke then abridged the time to January 11 for possible re-arraignment of the defendants on the amended charges, while January 16 was set for commencement of trial.
