Posted by By ADESINA AIYEKOTI, Lagos and MOLLY KILETE, Abuja on
The trial of former Enugu State governor, Dr Chimaroke Nnamani, for alleged graft and money laundering was stalled Wednesday as he remained on admission at the National Hospital, Abuja.
The trial of former Enugu State governor, Dr Chimaroke Nnamani, for alleged graft and money laundering was stalled Wednesday as he remained on admission at the National Hospital, Abuja.
The former state chief executive was to be arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos on allegation of conspiracy and laundering of over N5 billion belonging to the state government while he presided.
In anticipation of the docking of the former governor and others charged along with her, the premises of the court at Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi was besieged by some sympathisers believed to be his loyalists as well as anxious newsmen and photo journalists.
An official of the EFCC who sought anonymity, however, informed Daily Sun that the accused persons could not appear in court as the principal suspect, Nnamani, was currently on admission at the Abuja hospital.
'You cannot blame us for the delay in arraigning the accused persons, as at now, a principal suspect is not in our custody, but we hope very soon, he would be flown to Lagos to face prosecution," the source declared.
The other accused persons to be docked include Sunday Onyekozuru Anyaogu, Sylvia Onwubuemeli, Rainbownet Nigeria Limited, Hillgate Nigeria Limited, Cosmos FM, Capitalcity Automobile (Nigeria) Limited, Renaissance University Teaching Hospital and Mea Mater Elizabeth High School.
The accused persons were alleged among others in a 34-count preferred against them to have conspired to launder funds belonging to Enugu State government to the tune of N5.3 billion.
The funds were said to have been illegally transferred to some accounts in the United States on or before March 15, 2007.
Contrary to some newspaper reports that he had been whisked away from the sick bed to answer the charges by EFCC operatives, Daily Sun learnt late Wednesday that Nnamani was still at the hospital where he had spent about a week now for an undisclosed medical ailment.
When Daily Sun visited the private wing of the National Hospital where the former governor is admitted, security operatives, among them two mobile policemen and two plain clothes security men, were still on duty manning a strategic position at the entrance to the ward.
Although the security operative did not harass or stop visitors who were at the hospital to see their sick relatives, they paid special attention to movement to the ward where Senator Nnamani is.
Officials of the National Hospital Abuja, on Tuesday resisted an attempt by the operatives of EFCC to arrest the former governor.