•Suswam
Eight years after he was first arraigned for allegedly diverting about N3.1 billion belonging to Benue State, former Governor Gabriel Suswam yesterday faced a fresh trial before another judge of a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Suswam was re-arraigned along with his eratwhile Commissioner of Finance, Omadachi Okolobia, before Justice Peter Lifu on an 11-count money laundering charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), reports The Nation.
The accused allegedly diverted the money said to be proceeds from the sale of the state government’s shares.
Suswam and Okolobia pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them.
Defence lawyers – Adedayo Adedeji (SAN) for Suswam, and Paul Erokoro (SAN) for Okolobia – applied for bail for the defendants.
Both lawyers urged the court to allow the defendants to continue on the bail earlier granted them by the previous trial judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed.
Lawyer to the prosecution, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, did not object to the defence lawyers’ request.
Atolagbe disagreed with the defence lawyers’ claim that the defendants always attended previous proceedings in the case.
When Justice Lifu asked if the defendants’ previous sureties were still available, Adedeji and Erokoro answered in the affirmative.
The judge admitted the defendants to bail and adopted the conditions attached to the previous bail.
Justice Lifu, who averred that the case had a long winding past, said he did not want to be part of its chequered history.
He adjourned till April 29 for the commencement of trial.
