Emmanuel Ukudolo l Wednesday, Dec.12, 2018
IKEJA, Lagos – A Special Offences Court, sitting in Ikeja today granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), leave to serve oil baron, Jide Omokore and Senator Albert Bassey through their lawyers, Olatunde Adejuyigbe, counsel to second defendant and Samuel Ikpor, counsel to the first defendant.
Jide Omokore and Senator Albert Bassett were to be arraigned on 14 count charge by the EFCC for allegedly offering gratification to public officials and official corruption punishable under section 98(1)(a) (i), 98A(1)(a), of the criminal code of Lagos state of Nigeria 2003 and section 63(1)(a), 64(1)(a), the criminal Code laws of Lagos state 2011 respectively.
According to the EFCC, Bassey, 45, who is representing Akwa-Ibom North-East, received 12 vehicles worth N254 million between 2010 and 2014 from Omokore, when he served as the Akwa-Ibom State Commissioner for Finance.
At the resumed hearing in the charge ID / 7778C/ 2018, cited as FRN VS 1.Senator Albert Bassey, 2.Olajide Jones Omokore, counsel to the Senator Albert Bassey, Adejuyigbe told the court that that the EFCC has continued to hound his client and that the agency is insisting that he must come to them whereas he is represented in the court. He told the court that the EFCC and the court are creation of the law and as such bound by the law.
” Let all of us respect this court and allow the court to take full charge including the liberty of defence”, he said. In his reply, the prosecution, led by M.S Abubakar said it is not true that the EFCC is hounding the accused and that the defendants should have made themselves availaible for arraignment before filing applications.
“EFCC is not hounding anybody. The defendants have refused to show up at the EFCC to be served with the processes, ” he said, adding that it is not right that the applications should be heard at this stage when arraignment has not taken place. He said that though the defendants were on administrative bail, they have refused to show up at the commission’s office .
At this stage, Adejuyigbe told the court that he has told the prosecution to serve his client through him since he has permission to do so. After comfirming from the defence team that they have permission of their client to be served, Justice Taiwo immediately ordered the EFCC prosecutor to serve the defendants’ counsels adding that they can collect the processes on behalf of their clients.
The matter has been adjourned to January 23 for further hearing.
