TheCable

An Ikeja high court on Wednesday discharged Fred Ajudua, socialite and businessman, of $1.69 million (about N252.8 million) fraud charge.

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Sanusi A.E, told the court that some principal prosecution witnesses refused to come to Nigeria to give evidence in the matter.

“Our witnesses are foreigners who are reluctant to come to Nigeria.

“They are citing Ebola virus disease as one of the reasons they do not want to come.

“The first defendant (Ajudua) is at present being remanded in the Kirikiri prisons; in the circumstances, we are constrained to withdraw the charge.

“We are asking the court to discharge the defendants until we are able to get our witnesses,” Sanusi said.

Following the withdrawal of the charge by EFCC, Kudirat Jose, the presiding judge, discharged Ajudua and Charles Orie, his co-defendant.

However, the court did not acquit them.

“The charge against the defendants is hereby struck out. The defendants are accordingly discharged,” NAN quoted the judge as saying.

The defendants were arraigned in 2003 over alleged fraud against two Dutch businessmen – Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen.

They were re-arraigned before Jose on February 5, following the transfer of the case from Joseph Oyewole, a judge of Lagos high court.

The EFCC had said that the defendants deceived the Dutch businessmen by claiming that the money was for sundry payments to various government officials.

The commission also said that the defendants claimed that the payments would help them to facilitate a contract worth $18 million on behalf of the businessmen.

Ajudua is also facing another charge before Oluwatoyin Ipaye, another judge.

He was charged with defrauding Ishaya Bamaiyi, a former chief of army staff of $5.9 million (about N1 billion).