The immediate past Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, at the Federal High Court in Abuja on March 23, 2020. Channels Television Sodiq Adelakun.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has stayed proceedings in the money laundering trial of former Head of Service of the Federation, Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita and, others, over alleged abuse of court processes by the prosecution.
According to Justice Taiwo, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) abused court processes when it filed and obtained a freezing order from another judge on bank accounts of some of the defendants in the trial.
On February 11, Justice Taiwo had queried EFCC counsel, M.S. as to why he took the step when the matter was before him.
Recall that the prosecution lawyer had said that the Commission realized it had to freeze bank accounts linked to some of the defendants (apart from Oyo-Ita) so as to effectively prosecute the case.
But in his ruling on Thursday, Justice Taiwo described EFCC’s move as “judge shopping”, which means filing multiple cases in the same trial so as to get a favourable response for any of the judges.
He said that it was on record that the defendants were formally arraigned on March 23, noting that “this court heard of the freezing order by the EFCC on December 2020.”
The judge therefore ruled that while he will not vacate a freezing order from his learned colleague, he strongly condemns the prosecution’s actions, and as such, will only continue with the trial until the EFCC does the needful.
“I see it as a slap on the face of the court.
“If the prosecution feels he needs to file freezing order in a court, he ought to have brought the order before this court and not to another court.
“There was no legal reason for the prosecution to have approached another court over a defendant that is already standing trial before me.
“I cannot set aside the order made by my learned brother” he said, adding that he frowns at the prosecution for the development.
“What I have to do Is to stay further proceedings in this matter until the prosecution does the needful. I say no more,” he said.
THE Reflector had reported that Oyo-Ita was arraigned before Justice Taiwo’s court on March 23, by the EFCC, on an 18-count charge bordering on fraud to the tune of about N471,633,291.
Other defendants in the case are Ubong Effiok (her special assistant), Garba Umar, Frontline Ace Global Services Limited, Asanaya Projects Ltd, Garba Umar Slopes International Ltd.; Gooddeal Investments Ltd; U & U Global Services Ltd, which is linked to Effiok and Prince Mega Logistics Limited.
But they had all pleaded not guilty to the charges
