Court Upholds N205m Fraud Charges Against Ogbulafor

[ChannelsTV]

Former national chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Vincent Ogbulafor has lost the bid to stop the N205 million fraud charges brought against him by the federal government, as an Abuja High Court has ruled that the former PDP boss has a case to answer in the fraud charges and ordered him to enter his defence.

Justice Isaq Bello delivered ruling in an application by Mr. Ogbulafor that his trial in the fraud case be stopped by the high court on the ground that no evidence of fraud had been established against him by two government witnesses and in the 17 documents tendered at the close of the prosecution.

He argued through his counsel, Chief Joe Gadzama (SAN) that none of the two witnesses who testified for the federal government linked him directly to the alleged fraud which was perpetrated when he was the minister of special duties.

But Justice Bello ruled against him, adding that since his name was repeatedly mentioned by the two witnesses in their evidence, he has some explanations to offer the court in the criminal charges.

The Judge said that he had not looked at the documents tendered or weighed the evidence of the witnesses given because there was no need for that at the stage of the trial.

He held that the case against Mr. Ogbulafor could only be terminated at a no-case submission stage if the evidence of the witnesses were so discredited that the court should not rely on it to convict anybody.

The former party leader is standing trial for allegedly defrauding the nation to the tune of about N205 million when he was the special duties minister in the Presidency.

Via: ChannelsTV