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| Vincent Ogbulafor |
The trial of a former National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Vincent Ogbulafor; and two others at the FCT High Court suffered another adjournment on Tuesday due to the absence of the judge, Justice Ishaq Bello, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
Ogbulafor is standing trial alongside Jude Nwokolo and Emeka Ebilah.
They are being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on a 17-count charge bordering on fraud involving N107m.
Ogbulafor’s trial had suffered several adjournments due to the absence of the trial judge.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Tuesday, the Court Clerk, Mr. Salisu Idache, informed counsel to the ICPC, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), and the defence team that Bello “is still away on his national assignment’’.
Bello was appointed recently as the Chairman of the Anambra Election Petition Tribunal.
NAN reports that April 29 has been given as a new date to the counsel to address the court.
The ICPC had alleged that while in office as the Minister of State for Special Duties in 2001, Ogbulafor connived with the others to float three fictitious companies with which they perpetrated the alleged fraud.
They were said to have used Henrichiko Nig. Ltd., DHL Consultants; and Chekwas Industries to obtain N82.6m, N11.5m and N6.2m, respectively in 2001, among others.
Ogbulafor was alleged to have used his position as the head of the National Economic Intelligence Committee to pass several forged documents as genuine.
The ICPC alleged that he relied on the forged documents to certify that the three fake companies successfully executed jobs worth N104m.
The offence contravened the provisions of Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000.
If convicted, Ogbulafor and the others face five years in prison without an option of fine.
However, the accused had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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