Olayiwola Matthew
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned Sambo Dasuki, the former national security adviser (NSA), over allegations of N33.2 billion fraud.
The anti-graft commission re-arraigned Dasuki before a federal capital territory (FCT) high court on Tuesday alongside Aminu Baba-Kusa, a former general manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and two companies—Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited.
Dasuki and co-defendants are facing a 32-count charge bordering on alleged criminal breach of trust and dishonest release of public funds.
Their re-arraignment before Charles Agbaza, the presiding judge, follows the reassignment of the case by the FCT chief judge, Hussein Baba-Yusuf, who was previously handling the matter.
Dasuki was first arraigned on December 14, 2015, before Baba-Yusuf, alongside Shuaibu Salisu, a former director of finance and administration in the office of the national security adviser, on a 19-count charge linked to an alleged N15.5 billion fraud.
The charges were later amended, and Salisu’s name was removed. Subsequently, Dasuki and the others were re-arraigned on May 11, 2018, on a fresh 32-count charge bordering on a N33.2 billion fraud.
However, the trial suffered many adjournments and was eventually adjourned indefinitely after the prosecution presented only one witness.
With the reassignment to a new judge, the trial will start afresh.
At the resumed court session on Tuesday, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the 32 counts read to them, after which Oluwaleke Atolagbe, the prosecution counsel, requested a trial date.
A.A. Usman and Richard Ibiye, lawyers for Dasuki and Baba-Kusa, urged the court to allow the defendants to continue enjoying their existing bail, assuring that they had always been present for court proceedings.
The prosecution did not oppose the request but stressed the importance of the defendants’ continued presence throughout the trial.
After considering submissions from both sides, the judge allowed the defendants to continue with their existing bail and adjourned the trial to July 1.
The EFCC had also filed another case against Dasuki in 2015, in which he was charged alongside Bashir Yuguda, a former minister of state for finance; Attahiru Bafarawa, former governor of Sokoto; his son, Sagir Bafarawa; and his company, Dalhatu Investment Limited.
They are facing a 25-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of N19.4 billion.
The case was recently transferred to another judge, Yusuf Halilu.