Ex-AGF, Olujimi Accuses FG of Frustrating Dasuki Trial … As DSS Again Refused to Produce Dasuki in Court
Former Attorney General of
the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN) has accused
the Federal Government of frustrating the trial of former National Security
Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) in a charge of money-laundering its brought
against him.
Olujimi told an FCT High
Court that it was irritating for government to have persistently and
consistently refused to produce Dasuki in Court to face in the criminal charges
even when the Ex-NSA is in the custody of the Department of the State Service
in flagrant disobedience to the bails granted him by several courts.
Since 2015, when Dasuki was
arraigned before different high courts, he has been granted bail by Justice
Adeniyi Ademola and Justice Ahmed Rahmat Mohhamed of the Federal High Court as
well as Justice Peter Affen and Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of the FCT High
Courts. The ECOWAS Court had also in a
judgement ordered the Federal Government to release him immediately from the
unlawful custody and imposed a fine of N15,000,000 on the government but up to
now all the judgments have not been obeyed.
The outburst of the former
Minister of Justice today at resumed hearing was provoked by the failure of the
government for the second time in one week to produce Dasuki in court to enable
him to defend himself.
The Senior counsel said that
the defence of government that the inability to produce Dasuki in court for
trial was an oversight is not acceptable and not tenable because the government
having taking custody of Dasuki in spite of the bail granted him by four
judges, ought to have created records on the date the defendant are to be
brought to court to defend himself in the charges against him and in the
interest of justice.
At the resumed hearing,
counsel to the Federal Government Rotimi Jacobs had recalled before Justice
Hussein Baba-Yusuf, that Dasuki was not produced in Court on Tuesday and that
today he was not brought to court by those taking his custody.
Jacobs told the judge that
he has made several attempts to reach the authority of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to liase with the authority of the DSS to
produce the ex-NSA in court.
The senior counsel said that
the only response he received after the EFCC had linked up with DSS was that
the defendant (Dasuki) would not be brought to court. The prosecution counsel
apologised to the court on the development and requested Justice Baba Yusuf to
grant him an adjournment so as to get his defendant in court.
Counsel to Dasuki, Mr.
Joseph Daudu who expressed shock over the development expressed sympathy with
the prosecution adding that the inter-agency issues would have being
responsible for the refusal of the DSS to bring his client to court.
Daudu recalled that the
court had earlier granted his client bail to enable him come for the defence
from his house but regretted that in spite of the fact that court orders are
meant to be obeyed, the Federal Government had chosen to refuse to obey several
bail orders.
Chief Olujimi who stood for
Salisu Shuaib, a former Director of Finance in Office of the National Security
Adviser (ONSA), in his on comment noted that the other defendants in the
criminal charges have been coming regularly for the trial but lamented that the
prosecution has not been ready to allow the trial to flow: “I find it
irritating for somebody to tell a prosecutor that the failure to produce a
defendant in a criminal matter is an oversight. It is absurd and the need to
keep record of day to day of the defendant in order to allow him to defend
himself in the criminal charges brought against him.
“No one should foist a state
of hopelessness on the court but I urged the court to order that those keeping
Dasuki should ensure that they are alive to their responsibility of producing
him in the next adjourned day.”
In his short ruling, Justice
Baba Yusuf admitted that the prosecution counsel had always been passionate to
have the trial conducted but that his dilemma emanated from the fact that he is
not in control of the defendant.
The Judge however directed
Jacob to pass the message to his clients that there is the need for them to
produce Dasuki in court as required by law.
It would be recalled that
this is the fifth time that Dasuki would not be brought to court. Although
Jacob had promised that Dasuki would be produced in court on Wednesday, he
however failed as DSS did not bring him to court.
Meanwhile, Justice Baba
Yusuf has fixed July 11 and 12, 2017 for the commencement of the trial.
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