Justice Taiwo Taiwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, stopped proceedings in the trial of a former Head of Service, Winifred Oyo-Ita and others.
The Judge described the act of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in obtaining an ex-parte order for the freezing of bank accounts of the 4th, 5th and 6th defendants in the matter before another court as “an abuse of court process.”
While describing the conduct of EFCC as ‘forum shopping’ aimed at getting a favourable court judgment, the Judge said the action of the anti-corruption body was reprehensible and condemnable.
Taiwo said it was a contemptuous move and an outright ‘forum shopping’ that must not be allowed in the interest of justice.
The Judge then ordered a stay of proceedings in the trial until the EFCC and its lawyer ‘do the needful’ by withdrawing the application before the other court.
The Judge did not fix any date for the court to reconvene sitting on the matter.
The EFCC had filed an ex-parte motion with suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/1202/2020 before Justice Folashade Giwa-Ogunbanjo for the freezing of the bank accounts of 4th, 5th and 6th defendants in the alleged N570m money laundering charge filed against the ex-HoS and others, even when the matter was still ongoing before Justice Taiwo.
Oyo-Ita was named the 1st defendant in the suit with Ref. No: FHC/ABJ/CR/60/2020 before Taiwo, while Garba Umar, and his two companies; Slopes International Ltd and Gooddeal Investment Ltd were 4th, 5th and 6th defendants respectively.
Others in the case include Frontline Ace Global Services Ltd and Asanaya Projects as 2nd and 3rd defendants, while Ubong Effiok and his two companies; U & U Global Services Ltd and Prince Mega Logistics Ltd are 7th, 8th and 9th defendants respectively.
The defence lawyers had urged the court to discontinue the trial until the EFCC’s counsel, Mohammed Abubakar, withdraws the application before Justice Giwa-Ogunbanjo, describing the act as an abuse of court process.
Also Justice Taiwo had on February. 11, threatened to return the case file of Oyo-Ita’s trial to the Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho, for reassignment.
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