The Federal Government has filed a fresh 36-count amended charge against the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, Adeyemi Adeniyi, and four others over alleged forgery, false representation and fraud.
Adeniyi and his co-defendants appeared before Justice Halilu Yusuf of the FCT High Court in Maitama, Abuja, but their arraignment on the amended charges could not proceed due to the absence of the fourth defendant, Florence Omemah.
Prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, informed the court that Omemah was ill and receiving treatment at a hospital in Abuja.
He consequently requested a seven-day adjournment to enable her to recover and appear in court to take her plea.
However, counsel to Adeniyi, Ibrahim Angulu, urged the court to grant a shorter adjournment to enable him pursue his client’s bail application.
Angulu also told the court that his client had been in detention for more than 200 days.
In a brief ruling, Justice Yusuf adjourned the case until November 18 for the arraignment of all five defendants.
The judge ordered that Adeniyi be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, while the other defendants were to remain in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) pending the next hearing.
The defendants are expected to take their pleas when the amended charges are read to them.Maitama
