A new judge at the Lagos state high court sitting in Ikeja has taken over hearing the alleged N4.8 billion fraud trial involving the Chairman of Ibeto Energy Development Company, Cletus Ibeto.
The chief judge, Kazeem Alogba reassigned the defendants’ case file following a petition against Justice Ismail Ijelu who earlier presided over the case.
The Lagos director of public prosecutions at the ministry of justice Babajide Martins told justice oyindamola ogala that the state government was appearing before it as an interested party, pursuant to Section 211 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which empowers it to take over criminal proceedings that has been instituted by another authority. He said the state was also coming into the matter based on a request written by defendants.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission who had been prosecuting the case before a previous judge Ismail Ijelu, was absent at Fridays proceedings.
After hearing the positions of the counsel present, justice ogala ordered that hearing notice be served on the EFCC ahead of the next date as it was a case newly reassigned by the chief judge.
The first defendant who was also absent in court, alongside his two companies are facing a ten count charge of an alleged N4.8 billion fraud.
But the defendants have filed a preliminary objection against the
Charge citing lack of territorial jurisdiction and other grouses, a position it says is supported by the attorney general of Lagos.
