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N21m bribery: Gani cries foul over discharge of 2 SANs

Posted by By FEMI BABAFEMI on 2005/05/02 | Views: 584 |

N21m bribery: Gani cries foul over discharge of 2 SANs


Lagos lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) has cried foul over the discharge of two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Adetokunbo Kayode and Damian Dodo by an Abuja High Court handling a N21 million bribery charge against them and two others.

Lagos lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) has cried foul over the discharge of two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Adetokunbo Kayode and Damian Dodo by an Abuja High Court handling a N21 million bribery charge against them and two others.

In a statement issued Sunday, Fawehinmi argued that in view of the swiftness with which justice was dispensed in the INEC scam case, "it is my wish, hope and prayer that such fast track (quick) justice will equally be dispensed to all manners of men and women in the land when such occasions arise in all our courts in Nigeria."

The fiery lawyer said though it is not within his power to question the power of any judge to discharge and acquit an accused person where the proof of evidence does not link him with the crime, he however frowned at the procedure adopted in discharging the two members of the bar.

"My worry and concern is whether a proper procedure was followed in this case which should necessitate the filing of a motion to quash the indictment where all the grounds should be specified before justice is done, after arguments on such written application by both the accused or his counsel and the prosecutor or its counsel", he added.

Fawehinmi buttressed his position by citing two instances, Ikomi vs State (1986) and Abacha vs State (2002) where the Supreme Court established the normal criminal procedure in such situation as the INEC scam case.

According to him, "my area of worry which necessitated these comments, is whether or not a written application was specifically made to quash the indictments by any of the accused persons. There is nothing in the reports to suggest that there was any such application filed in the Federal Capital Territory high court to quash the indictment."

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