$180 Halliburton Scam: Court strike out EFCC suit

Posted by admin Headlines Monday, March 26th, 2012

, Abuja
Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Photo: Sun News Publishing
More Stories on This Section

An Abuja High Court has struck out the suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against three persons over the $180 million Haliburton bribery scandal for want of diligent prosecution.

Justice Abubakar Umar, who delivered the judgment, tongue-lashed the Commission over its attitude to the prosecution. Irked by the lackadaisical altitude exhibited by the anti graft agency in the prosecution of the matter, Umar warned that the EFCC should not ask for the leave of court to arraign any person if it was not ready to proceed with the trial.

The three persons who were standing are a former permanent secretary in the office of the head of service, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu; a retired air vice marshal, Abdullahi Bello; and Mohammed Bakari of the Urban Shelter Limited.
The EFCC had taken the three accused persons before Justice Umar on a nine-count charge.
Justice Umar struck out the suit after the counsel of the EFCC, Ms Kauna Pindam, prayed the court to grant the commission another adjournment to enable it arraign the accused persons.

Umar refused to grant the adjournment.
He reminded the EFCC of an order he gave on January 23, 2012 that the commission should be ready to arraign the three suspects named in the $180 million Halliburton bribery scandal unfailingly yesterday.
He said in his ruling: “I will not grant any more adjournment. Remember I gave an order on January 23 that March 26 date would be the last time the court would give the EFCC chance to arraign the suspects. I gave the long adjournment to allow the EFCC to interface with its US sister agency in utilising security information you said you got.

“I warned the EFCC that upon its failure to arraign the accused today, I will strike out the case and write to the Minister of Justice to lodge a complaint about the attitude of the commission” he added.
Justice Umar further stated: “I remember I also warned the EFCC and the accused counsel to adhere to the specific details of the order or suffer certain penalties for not following the instructions.
“I have checked my records and in the past one year, since February 17, 2011 when I granted leave to the prosecution to arraign the accused; they have not done so.

“It has been over a year now and still the EFCC is coming up with excuses.
“The EFCC should know that if it is not ready to prosecute and bring cases to conclusion, it should not apply for leave of court to arraign anybody.
“The EFCC should know that I am answerable to the National Judicial Council and what will I say is the reason why this case has been at arraignment stage for the past one year? I therefore strike out the suit for want of diligent prosecution. The judged declared.wp_posts