Ajudua seeks to quash $1 million fraud charge

Lagos socialist, Fred Ajudua, Monday prayed an Ikeja High Court, to quash a $1 million fraud charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC, had in the charge, alleged that Ajudua and his an accomplice, Joseph Ochunor, in 1993 defrauded one Ziad Abu Zalaf of Technical International Limited, a company based in Germany of $1 million dollars.

At resumed proceedings before Justice Josephine Oyefeso Monday, his counsel,   Norrison Quakers (SAN) told the court that he has two applications pending before the court and that the prosecution had been copied.

Quakers however accused the EFCC of not filing their court response on time.
“My Lord, our application is dated May 9 and we are seeking that the fraud charge should be struck out.  We served the prosecution with a copy of the application on May 10.
“The counter-affidavit of the prosecution was not filed within time and there was no application before the court to regularise same,” he said.

Responding, counsel to the EFCC, Mr.  Seidu  Atteh, however disputed the senior lawyer’s claims insisting that the prosecution responded within time.
“We filed a counter-affidavit dated May 17 and the learned senior counsel noted that there was a mistake on the date and we filed another one on October 10.
“With the kind permission of the court, we will like to regularise same with an oral application,” he said.

After the oral application of the EFCC counsel, Quakers told the court that he would respond to the counter-affidavit of the prosecution within seven days.
Justice Oyefeso adjourned the case to November 30 for the hearing of the application seeking to quash the fraud charge.

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