A Federal High Court sitting in Benin City on Thursday adjourned the money laundering case instituted against a former secretary to Edo state government and governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2016 gubernatorial election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and four others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to July 2nd.
At Thursday’s sitting the prosecution counsel Francis Jibro told the court that the matter was for ruling on the competence of the eight count charge preferred against the defendants.
The defendants which include a former deputy governor of Edo state, Lucky Imasuen, former Edo state PDP state chairman, Dan Orbih, Tony Aziegbemi and Efe Erimuoghae are facing trial alongside Ize-Iyamu.
The presiding Judge, Justice M. G Umar ruled that the charges filed by the commission against the defendants were not defective. The defendants had challenged these charges at the last sitting on the ground that they contained the name of Chief Tony Anenih who is now diseased.
However, Jibro told the court that based on the ruling of the court which found the charges not defective, the next thing was for the defendants to take their pleas. He told the court that the defence counsels were not to dictate to the court.
Ferdinand Orbih, SAN, counsel to Dan Orbih said he was not challenging the ruling of court but the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear the matter.
The case was adjourned to July 2, 2020 for hearing.
