Victor EzejaJUSTICE Adeniyi of the FCT Abuja High Court has adjourned trial of former Director, Legal Services of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Grace Taiga on a case of alleged fraudulent gas contract to January 10, 2021 for continuation of hearing.
Taiga is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an eight count charge over her alleged role in the case of multiple fraud in a gas contract involving Process and Industrial Development Limited (P&ID).
According to a statement by the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, counsel to the defendant, Daniel Alumun had at the resumed trial on Friday, November 12, 2021, cross-examined one of the prosecution witnesses, Mohammed Ibrahim, a member of the technical committee for the reform of the oil and gas sector during the tenure of late Dr Rilwan Lukman as petroleum minister.
The witness told the court that he was not part of the discussion on any construction of a 24 inches oil pipeline from Adanga to Calabar.
When Alumun probed him further on the qualification of any company to handle such a pipeline project, the witness said such a company must have technical and financial capacity, and must be functional.
Asked whether the report of his committee was sent to the defendant at any given time, he said he could not remember.
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At the end of the cross –examination, Justice Adeniyi asked the prosecuting counsel, Abba Mohammed, if he needed to re-examine the witness. Mohammed in response said, ‘no’, and apparently not satisfied with responses, requested for an adjournment to enable him present another witness.
The judge consequently adjourned the matter till January 10, 2022 for continuation of trial.
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Taiga, the defendant was said to have allegedly collected bribes through her offshore bank account for signing the alleged fraudulent Gas Supply Processing Agreement between P & ID and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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