Court To Rule Malabu’s Money Laundering Case

A Federal High Court in  Abuja has reportedly fixed July 18 for ruling in the trial-within-trial of the money laundering suit filed by the EFCC against Malabu Oil and Gas Limited and seven others.

Other defendants in the criminal charge include A Group Construction Company Limited; Rocky Top Resources Limited; Megatech Engineering Limited; Novel Properties and Development Company Limited listed as 2nd to 5th defendants respectively.

They also include Imperial Union Limited; Carlin International Nigeria Limited and the oil mogul, Mr Aliyu Abubakar, listed as 6th to 8th defendants respectively in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/268/16.

Trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, fixed the date after EFCC’s counsel, Offem Uket, and lawyer to the Abubakar (8th defendant), Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, adopted their written addresses in the matter.

In another criminal charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/39/17 filed by EFCC against Mohammed Adoke, the former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, and Abubakar, who are 1st and 2nd defendants, Justice Ekwo fixed July 17 for ruling in the trial-within-trial after Uket and Olanipekun had re-adopted their written addresses in defence of their case.

Abubakar, a businessman, had alleged that in the course of his investigation by the EFCC, he made extra-judicial statements under duress and was also induced to implicate others.development made the court to order a trial-within-trial in the suit number: FHC/ABJ/CR/39/17 filed against Adoke and Abubakar, and the proceeding was completed and the matter earlier fixed for ruling.

But upon resumed hearing in the matter against Malabu Oil and others on July 20, 2022, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th defendants objected through their respective counsel to the admissibility of the seven extra-judicial statements made by Abubakar (8th defendant) on Aug . 8, 2015; Nov. 30, 2015; Jan. 6, 2016; Jan. 17, 2016; Dec. 31, 2019; Jan. 6, 2020 and Jan. 25, 2020 respectively which the prosecution sought to tender in the course of examination-in-chief of prosecution witness A (PWA), Ibrahim Ahmed, in the substantive case.

They objected to the admissibility of the documents on the ground of violation of the Evidence Act and provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, and the judge also ordered a trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness or otherwise of the seven statements made by Abubakar.