The ongoing trial of Abubakar Ali Peters and his company, Nadabo Energy Limited, over a 21-count charge bordering on forgery and subsidy fraud to the tune of N761.6 million before Justice Sedotan Ogunsanya of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos continued on Thursday.
The defence team, led by Osagie Isiramen began the cross-examination of the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the agency prosecuting the case, Abdulrasheed Bawa.
Under cross-examination, Mr Bawa who was the lead operative that investigated the petition between 2011 and 2012, noted that the said complaints were in respect of all oil marketers who participated in the subsidy regime.
Mr Bawa, also asserted that the defendant used forged documents to claim subsidy funds for products not supplied, many of which he highlighted in the course of the cross-examination.
The EFCC chairman also told the Court that the defendant was “already doing restitution and we have recovered money from him, which is an admittance that he was wrongly paid”.
Following the request from the defence seeking for an adjournment “to enable the defence procure documents to defend themselves “, Justice Ogunsanya adjourned till February 17 and 18, 2022 “in the interest of justice”.
But the court noted that it is eager to dispense the case which has been ongoing since 2015, but which has suffered many setbacks including from the defendants who have changed counsel up to ten times.
