Nobody turned up. When the money laundering case against former Benue State governor Gabriel Suswam came before the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 30, the parties were not in court to adopt their final written addresses, and Justice Peter Lifu reset the matter for July 16.
In plain terms, the evidence phase is over. Both sides now have to hand in their closing arguments, and then the judge writes his judgment. July 16 is not a verdict date.
Suswam, who governed Benue from 2007 to 2015, and his former finance commissioner, Omodachi Okolobia, face 11 counts of money laundering involving N3.1 billion. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says the money came from the sale of shares the Benue State government held through the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited. Between 8 August and 30 October 2014, the agency alleges, the two men used Elixir Securities Ltd and Elixir Investment Partners Limited to divert it.
The EFCC called nine witnesses. The defendants then argued they had no case to answer. On 23 July, Justice Lifu dismissed that no-case submission and ruled that the prosecution had made out a prima facie case, which means enough evidence to require a defense.
“The defendants are hereby called upon to enter their various defences,” he said.
Suswam took the stand as the only defense witness. When he finished, the defense closed.
The case is old. The two men were first arraigned in November 2015 over allegations of diverting N3.1 billion from the share sale. They were re-arraigned on 2 November 2020 on an amended charge, in which the EFCC alleged that Okolobia made cash transactions totaling N578 million in four tranches between December 2014 and January 2015, above the limit set by the money laundering law.
The file has changed hands too. Justices Ahmed Mohammed and Okon Abang handled it at different times, and it went to Justice Lifu on Court of Appeal directives after Justice Mohammed was elevated to the appellate bench in 2023. In March 2024 the defendants were re-arraigned before Justice Lifu and pleaded not guilty.
Almost 11 years in, the case has run through repeated adjournments and re-arraignments. It now waits on a July 16 date.
