N4.8bn: Court Adjourns Ibeto’s Trial Over Jurisdiction

Justice Oyindamola Ogala of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has adjourned the trial of the Chairman of Ibeto Energy Development Company, Chief Cletus Ibeto, to await the verdict of the Appeal Court on an application challenging the court’s jurisdiction.

Justice Ogala adjourned the case to May 27 after the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), insisted that Ibeto’s lawyer, Adebayo Oshodi, cannot move a similar application challenging the territorial jurisdiction of the court without the presence of the defendant.

The EFCC had charged the businessman and his companies, Ibeto Energy Development Company and Odoh Holdings Ltd, before the court over an allegation of N4.8 billion fraud.

The anti-graft agency had filed a 10-count charge of conspiracy, fraud, forgery and fraudulent use of documents.

At the resumed hearing of the matter, Oshodi told the court that the defence had decided to withdraw two applications, one for a stay of proceedings and another one filed by Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), challenging the court’s powers to trial the defendants.

The judge then dismissed the application following no objection from the prosecutor.

But the move by Oshodi to move a new application on jurisdiction was resisted by Jacob, who insisted that the defendants have filed an appeal on the subject matter of the application.

Besides, Jacob also insisted that the court could not entertain the application because the defendant had not submitted himself for trial.