A Lagos High Court in Ikeja has ordered alleged fraud kingpin, Mr. Fred Ajudua, to remain in Kirikiri Maximum Prison till when the case against him is concluded.
Justice Olubunmi Oyewole had earlier ordered Ajudua to be remanded in prison when the accused appeared in court for the first time on June 11, 2013 after eight years of evading trial.
Ajudua had applied for fresh bail or alternatively, the restoration of the bail, which the court revoked after he consistently evaded trial.
But Oyewole ruled on Thursday that the accused was not deserving of bail on the grounds that he "has not been alive to his responsibility of attending to his trial".
The judge, rather than granting bail, "restated accelerated hearing of the case" and ordered "the day-to-day hearing, as practicable, until the case is disposed of".
He adjourned the matter till July 8 for commencement of trial.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had accused Ajudia of defrauding two Dutch businessmen – Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen – of about US$1.69m (N262m).
The 52-year-old accused, also a legal practitioner, was arraigned along with Charles Orie, in 2003.
In denying Ajudua bail, the judge dismissed contention by his counsel that the accused had kidney problem which would require frequent medical attention the prison's medical facility could not offer.
The judge held that no evidence from doctors in the prison was tendered to show that he developed health problems that could not be handled by the prison health facility since his remand on June 11.
"The applicant (Ajudua) appeared before the court looking healthy and physically fit," Oyewole said.
The judge said it remained unchallenged "till date", the report which declared that Ajudua was no longer with the Indian hospital, where he claimed to have travelled to for treatment long after the court permitted him to embark on the journey.
According to the judge, the Interpol in India; the Nigerian High Commission in India, and the Managing Director, Grants Medical Foundation, where the accused sought to have been treated, all declared in separate reports that they were not aware of his whereabouts.
The Punch