On Thursday, Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal High Court, Abuja, expressed frustration over the delay tactics employed by Adeola Adedipe, counsel for former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye, in the ongoing trial concerning alleged $6 billion fraud.
Agunloye, who is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on seven counts of official corruption and fraudulent awarding of the Mambilla Power Project contract, has been accused of involvement in the $6 billion scheme.
During the proceedings, the judge criticized Adedipe for repeatedly citing Agunloye’s health and age as reasons for delays, as well as filing multiple motions that hindered the progress of the trial.
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Addressing the defense counsel, Justice Onwuegbuzie firmly stated, “My principle of justice is no delay. The last time you raised the issue of amicus curiae, it wasted the court’s time. In my court, I do not read processes. If you need time to serve them, ensure they are submitted in a timely manner, and your colleague must be notified as well. There must be mutual respect—do not serve processes in court.”
At the start of the session, prosecuting counsel, Abba Mohammed, informed the court that the day’s business was the adoption of the prosecution’s application to amend the charges, filed on 30 October.
In response, the defense filed a counter-affidavit and requested an adjournment to allow the prosecution to review the document.Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the matter until 28 November for a ruling on the application.
