The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Pierre Vijgen

  • Absence of witnesses stalls Ajudua’s trial

    The trial of a one-time Lagos socialite, Fred Ajudua, charged with $1.69 million fraud, was on Monday stalled due to the absence of prosecution witnesses.

    Ajudua and one Charles Orie are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Kudirat Jose of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja.

    They are standing trial for allegedly defrauding two Dutch businessmen – Messrs Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen, of $1.69 million (about N252.8 million).

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that during Monday’s proceedings, the EFCC counsel, Chief Wemimo Ogunde (SAN), told the court that some of the prosecution witnesses reside abroad.

    Ogunde said the defence counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, had on April 25, served the commission with an application for stay of proceedings but later called to say that it was served in error.

    He said the EFCC could not therefore extend invitation to the witnesses to travel down to Nigeria because the commission was unsure of how the matter would proceed.

    According to him, the commission is being cautious because a similar incident occurred in the past when witnesses came but the matter did not proceed.

    Ogunde, therefore, asked the court for a 21-day period to enable the EFCC get the witnesses to attend the trial.

    Ojo, however, opposed the request for the 21 days adjournment, arguing that the period was too long to get witnesses from abroad.

    He said that it would be wrong for the court to grant such a long adjournment when his client (Ajudua) had been refused bail.

    The counsel said the fact that his chambers mistakenly served the EFCC with a wrong process was not enough excuse for the commission not to bring its witnesses to the court.

    In a short ruling, Jose overruled Ojo’s argument and adjourned the matter till May 23 for trial.

     

  • Ajudua asks for fresh bail

    Ajudua asks for fresh bail

    Lagos socialite and alleged fraudster, Mr. Fred Ajudua, on Wednesday asked a Lagos High Court in Ikeja for a fresh bail.

    Counsel to Ajudua, Mr. Olaekan Ojo, filed the fresh bail application before the court presided by Justice Ganiyu Safari.

    Another accused person, Charles Hijiudu, had earlier been denied bail by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole on June 27.

    Oyewole had ruled that Ajudua failed to present convincing materials to back his claim that he would not escape from trial after doing so for seven years when he was earlier granted bail in 2005.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in 2003 arraigned Ajudua and his co-accused, Hijiudu, for allegedly defrauding two Dutch businessmen – Mr. Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen – of about $1.69m between July 1999 and September 2000.

    At the resumption of trial on Wednesday, Ojo, who argued the fresh application dated August 19, said there were fresh facts which emerged after his client was last denied bail by Justice Oyewole.

    According to Ojo, after Ajudua was denied bail, he was rushed to the emergency unit of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, when his condition deteriorated.

    But the EFCC, through its counsel, Mr. Wemimo Ogunde (SAN), opposed the application, saying Ajudua did not deserve any fresh bail.

     

  • Fraud: Court dismisses Ajudua’s bid to quash charges

    Lagos lawyer and alleged fraudster, Fred Ajudua, on Tuesday lost in his bid to regain to secure his release from the prison where he has been held over fraud related offences.

    A Lagos High Court, Ikeja presided over by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole dismissed the application in which he was asking the court to quash the $1.6m fraud charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since 2003.

    Justice Oyewole in a ruling dismissed Ajudua’s application for lack of merit.

    He said that granting Ajudua’s application would affect the credibility of the criminal justice system with regards to the protection of witnesses.

    Though the complainant has withdrawn from the case and filed an affidavit before the court for the discontinuance of proceedings, the judge held that he was not responsible for the prosecution of the case and therefore cannot terminate it.

    Oyewole said if the prosecution has reached dead end in the case, it will say so “otherwise the defence cannot terminate the case even at the withdrawal of the witness as claimed by the defence.”

    The judge described as strange, the application for dismissal of the charges by the defence especially at this stage of the trial.

    He said the testimonies of six witnesses are already before the court and none of it will be touched until the statements of other witnesses are analysed.

    He said testimony in a criminal trial is not at the discretion of the witness.

    Ajudua was arraigned alongside Charles Orie in 2003 for allegedly defrauding two Dutch businessmen, Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen, of $1.6m between July 1999 and September 2000.

    The suspect absconded from trial after he was granted bail by Justice Oyewole.

     

  • Ajudua to remain in prison till June 24

    Justice Joseph Oyewole of a Lagos High Court, Ikeja on Tuesday ordered an alleged fraudster, Mr. Fred Ajudua, to be remanded in prison custody till June 24 when his bail application will be heard by the court.

    The order of the court came eight years after Fred Ajudua absconded from trial for charges of fraud brought filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The EFCC had in 2003 arraigned Ajudua and Charles Hijiudu before the court for allegedly defrauding two foreigners, Mr. Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen, of about $1.69m between July 1999 and September 2000.

    After absconding from trial, Justice Oyewole in December 2005 issued a bench warrant directing the police to arrest the accused and bring him to court.

    But the police was unable to effect his arrest as ordered by the court almost eight years after.

    Ajudua appeared in court with his counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, who applied for bail on his behalf t at his resumed trial on Tuesday.

    But the prosecution counsel, Mr. Wemimo Ogunde (SAN), opposed the application, saying the court should go ahead with the trial.