Alleged N33.8bn fraud: Court bars Mamman’s lawyer from recalling prosecution witness

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, connected Thursday stopped the defence successful the proceedings of erstwhile Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, from calling a prosecution witnesser arsenic portion of its lawsuit successful the alleged N33.8 cardinal fraud charge.

At the resumed hearing, defence counsel, Femi Atteh, SAN, made an oral exertion seeking to person Abdulkareem Ibrahim Ozi, who had earlier testified arsenic Prosecution Witness 2 (PW2), springiness grounds for the defence connected the spot of a subpoena.

Ruling connected the application, Justice Omotosho held that the process was chartless to instrumentality and inconsistent with established judicial practice.

“What I cognize is that, a witnesser having testified successful court, adjacent though helium is simply a witnesser of the court, having been cross-examined by the different party, helium can’t beryllium called to springiness grounds without reason. This process is unusual and not known to our jurisprudence. However, the defence is not foreclosed to telephone him for cross-examination,” the justice said.

Earlier, Atteh had urged the tribunal to let the subpoenaed witnesser attest for the defence, arguing that definite documents required clarification.

“I don’t caput taking an oral exertion for the witnesser that is connected subpoena earlier the court. There are documents to which helium is the shaper that merit clarification that volition assistance the defence, similar PW B1, B2, B3,” helium said.

However, prosecution coun...