EFCC withdraws fraud case against Ajudua
Dressed in green kaftan, pale-looking Fred Ajudua felt elated yesterday after a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja discharged him of an alleged $1.69m fraud case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
However, his joy was shortlived. Reason: Though discharged, the embattled socialite was sent back into prison custody pending the verdict of the Court of Appeal regarding his bail denial by Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye in an alleged $8.4m fraud charge involving a former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi.
Justice Kudirat Jose discharged Ajudua of the $1.69m fraud case levelled against him 11 years ago by the EFCC, following the commission’s inability to provide key foreign witnesses to give evidence.
The socialite and his co-defendant, Charles Orie were first arraigned before Justice Joseph Oyewole in 2003 for allegedly defrauding two German businessmen, Remy Cina and Pieere Vijgen of $1.69 but jumped bail in 2005 until his re-appearance in 2013 after a bench warrant for his arrest was issued by Oyewole.
His bail was revoked by Oyewole following his antecedents and on February 5, this year, the defendants were re-arraigned before Justice Jose on a four-count charge of conspiracy, obtaining money and inducing payment by false pretence following Justice Oyewole’s elevation to the Court of Appeal.
They were alleged to have conspired with Rasheed Adekunle, Abisola Fawehinmi, and Stephen Joiner – who are still at large – to commit the crime between 1999 and 2000.
The defendants were alleged to have deceived their victims by claiming that the money was for sundry payments to various government officials, to help in facilitating the award of an $18 million contract for the Dutch men.
But while Ajudua was denied bail by the court despite his ill health, the EFCC on its part, failed to produce key foreign witnesses in the matter, thus stalling the trial.
At the resumed hearing yesterday, counsel to EFCC, Mrs. E.A. Sanusi told the court that the commission’s inability to provide key foreign witnesses was because some of them refused to come to Nigeria to give evidence.
She told the court that some of the principal witnesses had cited the Ebola outbreak as reasons for their inability to come into the country to give evidence.
In that circumstance, Sanusi said the commission was left with no other option than withdrawing the charges.
Hence, the trial court, in light of the EFCC’s submission, dropped the charges against Ajudua and Orie.
Reacting to the development, counsel to Ajudua, Olalekan Ojo, told The Nation that he was elated that one of the two criminal charges against his client was gone.
“Yes, he will be returning to custody but one thing is clear; out of the two criminal cases against him, one is gone and so, we can now concentrate on one with the conviction that it is well,” he said.
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