By Aminu Kutama
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday told a Federal High Court in Kano that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Kano Central Senatorial district election, Abdulsalam Zaura, who is being tried for an alleged $1.3 million fraud, has absconded and is nowhere to be found.
According to Premium Times, when the case was called up in court, the prosecution counsel, Aisha Habib, told the court that the defendant was not physically arraigned in court because he could not be found.
“This is a criminal case, and the defendant must be in court to answer his plea even if he is challenging the jurisdiction of the court to arraign him,” the counsel said.
The EFCC is prosecuting Zaura on a charge of criminal conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of $1.3 million against the defendant.
“This is a total disrespect; the defendant has to be in court before he can file an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court to arraign him,” Habib added.
Counsel to the defendant, Ibrahim Garba-Waru, however, told the court that his client’s appearance at this stage of the proceedings the presence of the defendant was not mandatory.
Mr Garba-Waru said the defendant is not in court because he is not physically fit to stand trial.
Corroborating Waru’s claim, Ibrahim Muhammad Abdullahi, a spokesperson to the senatorial candidate, told SAHELIAN TIMES that Zaura left Kano on Thursday due to his deteriorating health condition.
“My boss was in Kano for alsmost a week, he was part of the team that welcomed the APC presidential candidate, and he wanted to stay for the court, but his health condition worsened.”
The judge, Muhammad Nasir-Yunusa, however, ruled that in a criminal case the defendant must be in court and adjourned the matter until 10 November.
