The Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed December 8 for committal proceeding against a member of the House of Representatives, Sani Dan-Galadima, over his inability to produce Faisal, Maina’s son, in court to stand his trial.
Justice Okon Abang, after taking arguments from counsel to parties in the case yesterday, adjourned the matter at the instance of Dan-Galadima, who stood surety for Faisal.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mohammed Sheriff, counsel to the lawmaker, who represents Kaura-Namoda Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, said in obedience to a court order of November 25, the surety had filed an affidavit to show cause why he should not forfeit the N60million bail bond.
He, however, said the EFCC’s lawyer, Mohammed Abubakar, in response, served him with two processes today (yesterday) in opposition to their request, one at 9 am and the other at 9:55 am.
Sheriff prayed the court for an adjournment to enable him to go through the response and file his reply in the interest of justice.
Responding, Abubakar admitted that two counter-affidavits were filed and served yesterday morning, the first one dated and filed on December 3 and the second one dated and filed on December 4.
He said he had no objection to Sheriff’s application for an adjournment to allow him to go through the processes.
When the Judge asked what the parties’ applications were all about, the EFCC lawyer informed the court that Dan-Galadima, in his affidavit, prayed the court to give him time to sell the property with which he used for the suretyship to enable him to generate the N60million bail bond.
He added that the lawmaker also claimed that he had always been in court for Faisal’s proceedings, even when he jumped bail.
Abubakar urged the court to make an order for immediate forfeiture of the said property and that contrary to the lawmaker’s claim, there were days he was not in court.
Justice Abang adjourned the matter at the instance of Dan-Galadima until December 8 for a committal proceeding against the lawmaker.
Faisal was arraigned on October 25 last year by the EFCC on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering.
The court had on November 26, last year, admitted Faisal to bail in the sum of N60million, with a surety in the like sum, who must be a member of the House of Representatives and must have a landed property anywhere within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The court, which also ruled that the lawmaker, who would undertake to always attend Faisal’s trial at each adjourned date, saying, “where the surety fails without cogent reason, the court is at liberty to revoke the bail.”
However, Justice Abang had on November 25, this year, summoned the lawmaker for disregarding the court order that granted bail to Faisal.
The judge revoked the bail granted Faisal, ordered his arrest, and directed that his trial would proceed in absentia, having been said to have jumped bail.
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