Convicted pension thief,
John Yahaya Yusufu, who is standing trial on an alleged false declaration of
assets on Monday slumped in the dock while his trial was in progress.
photoThe accused is standing
trial for not disclosing his interest in a N250 million fixed deposit which was
fixed in the name of a company known as SY-A Global Services Limited,
incorporated by him and solely owned by him and members of his immediate family
at Zenith Bank International Plc.
He was also alleged to have
a N10 million fixed deposit in an account his company maintains at First Bank
of Nigeria Plc and another N29 million fixed through one Mr. Danjuma Mele, who
is also scheduled to testify as a witness in the trial.
Soon as the court resumed,
Yusufu’s lawyer, Mr. Maiyaki, moved an application seeking bail for the
recently convicted pension thief. He told the court that the offence for which
his client is standing trial is ordinarily bailable and that the court is
empowered by the law to exercise discretion in granting bail to an accused
person and urged that the discretion be exercised in his client’s favour.
The application was opposed
by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The commission’s lawyer, Mr.
Rotimi Jacob, a senior advocate of Nigeria invited the court to take into
cognizance the recent conviction of the accused on the charge of criminal
breach of trust which clearly shows that Yusufu’s antecedent does not encourage
the court to exercise its discretion in his favour.
Mr. Jacob also pointed out
that Yusufu did not deny his previous conviction on criminal breach of trust in
the affidavit he filed in support of his application for bail and urged the
court to consider the gravity of his present offence, which is felony, an
offence punishable with imprisonment term of five years, as the proof of
evidence filed alongside the charge, and to deny him bail.
He further told the court
that it is in the interest and safety of the accused person to be kept in
custody to prevent the possibility of being mobbed by some aggrieved members of
the public who are seriously aggrieved about the seeming mildness of the
sentence imposed on his upon his earlier conviction of criminal breach of
trust.
The court, after listening
to both lawyers, decided that Yusufu’s trial should go on while a date should
be fixed for ruling on his bail application.
This was unsuccessfully
protested by Yusufu’s lawyer who suggested that the matter be adjourned for
ruling on the bail application before the substantive trial can commence. The
court insisted on going ahead with the trial which had been specifically
scheduled for today.
On that note, the EFCC
lawyer called their first witness, a civil servant working with the anti graft
agency under Asset Forfeiture and Tax Investigation Unit, Mr. Mustapha Sani.
No sooner had the witness
commenced his testimony than Yusufu, who had been standing in the dock, started
shaking violently.
His lawyer pleaded with the
court to allow the accused person to sit down, a request that was promptly
granted by the court but as the accused made to sit down on the seat inside the
dock, he slumped forward across the wooden dock. His lawyer and prison officials
who had brought him to court from Kuje prison rushed to him and assited him to
sit on the seat.
At this juncture, the court
indicated that the accused is not fit to continue with the trial and adjourned
the trial to 22nd April.
His lawyer requested that
Yusufu be allowed access to his personal physician for urgent medical
attention. The court acquiesced and directed the Prison authority to allow his
doctor to attend to him.
Ruling on his bail
application was thereafter fixed for 11th March.
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