Justice Babs Kuewumi of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos Tuesday adjourned till December 2, to commence the trial of a former Managing Director (MD) of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Ibrahim Abdulsalam.
Abdusalam and six others are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a charge bordering on the alleged theft and conversion of NAMA’s N6.8billion.
At the commencement of proceedings Tuesday, Justice Kuewumi announced that there was a letter from prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo seeking an adjournment.
Oyedepo, he stated, informed the court that he was summoned, through a hearing notice, to the Lagos division of the Court of Appeal.
The court then adjourned the case till December 2.
On April 7, EFCC docked the NAMA boss, three directors of the agency and the wife of one of the agency’s directors. They denied the charge.
Apart from Abdulsalam, other defendants are Adegorite Olumuyiwa, Agbolade Segun, Clara Aliche, Joy Adegorite, and two limited liability companies, Randville Investment Ltd and Multeng Travels and Tours Ltd.
In the charge, the anti-graft agency alleged that on August 19, 2013, the defendants conspired to induce NAMA to deliver the sum of N2.8 billion to Delosa Ltd, Air Sea Delivery Ltd and Sea Schedules Systems Ltd.
The EFCC stated that the delivery was under the pretence that the money represented the cost of clearing NAMA’s consignments.
In another instance, the commission alleged that that between January 2 and December 17, 2013, the defendants converted N191 million belonging to NAMA to themselves.
The defendants were also said to have converted N728 million between 2013 and 2015, as well as other sums.
According to the charge, the offence offended Sections 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and was punishable under Section 1 (3).
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