High Court In Abuja Fines Lawyer N200,000 For Inefficiency

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, the Judge of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has levelled a fine of N200,000 against counsel for Apartment le Paradis, a hotel in which Nanle Dariye identified as a son of a former Plateau State Governor, Joshua Dariye, is a director, for inefficiency.

Nanle Dariye, the son of the ex Plateau State Governor, was on February 27, 2018 arraigned together with Apartment le Paradis on a six-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N1.5 billion, to which he pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Just a short while after the prosecution closed its case against him, his counsel led by one Kanu Agabi, SAN, on February 13, 2019 argued his“no-case”submission via an application dated and filed on December 13, 2018.

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Based on March 7, 2019 application, the trial judge struck out count one of the charges, which affected Dariye Nanle, and held that the hotel had a case to answer in the money laundering charge.

In any case, Justice Ifeoma Ojukwu had adjourned the case to April 10, 2019 for the second defendant to begin its defence.

However, the counsel for the EFCC identified as Ike Okonjo, denied the claim of any such agreement, adding that the prosecution had come prepared to continue with the case and was surprised at the position of the defence.

The Judge was not happy as she said:

“I have given you ample time to adequately prepare for the defence, you cannot come here one month after to ask for another adjournment,”

The trial judge, afterwards, adjourned the case to May 13 to 15, 2019, and ordered the defence to pay N200,000 fine before the next trial date.

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