Dasuki and one of his lawyers, Ahmed Raji (SAN) in court: trial will go on, says court
Embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki has failed in his bid to stop his trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, threw out his request for a stay of proceedings.
Baba Yusuf had listened to Dasuki’s lawyer, J.B. Daudu , SAN, argue a case for the discontinuation of the case last Thursday, but he was countered by government lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs, also a SAN, who said the application was unnecessary.
Dasuki, alongside Shuaibu Salisu, a former Director of Finance and Administration, Office of the National Security Adviser; Aminu Babakusa, a former General Manager, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation; Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited are being prosecuted by the EFCC on a 19-count charge bordering on money laundering and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N13.57 billion. The stolen money was said to be meant for the buying of arms to prosecute Boko Haram war.
Daudu, Dasuki’s lawyer had accused the prosecution of disobeying the order of the court by re-arresting his client after he was granted bail and had met his bail conditions.
The prosecuting lawyer, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), in a 26 paragraphs affidavit and a 14-page written address urged the court not to grant the application.
Jacobs said that Dasuki was re-arrested by the Department of Security Service (DSS) on another alleged offence different from the case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
At the resumed hearing on Monday, Justice Husseni Baba-Yusut in a ruling dismissed the application saying that “It does not hold any merit’’.
Baba-Yusuf held that the only issue to be determined was to know whether the applicant (Federal Government) disobeyed the Court’s order.
He went further to hold that a court order was said to be disobeyed if such order was directed to that person in question.
The Judge said that although the court granted bail to Dasuki but it did not order that he should not be re-arrested in another allegation.
Baba-Yusuf then adjourned till March 23 for hearing and for the trial to continue.
