SAN FRANCISCO, April 28 (THEWILL) – The ongoing trial of Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Chairman, Daar Communications, was stalled on Thursday owing to the absence of the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs.
At the resumption of the trial, before Justice James Tsoho of an Abuja Federal High Court, counsel to Dokpesi, Wole Olanipekun, revealed that he got a letter indicating that the Jacobs sought for an adjournment because he was before the Supreme Court.
Justice Tsoho subsequently adjourned the matter to June 15 and 16, 2016.
It is worthy of note that Dokpesi was re-arraigned before Justice Tsoho, after it was confirmed that the re-assignment of the matter to another judge by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court was done in error.
Dokpesi is standing trial along with his firm, Daar Investment and Holdings Limited, on a six-count charge bordering on money laundering and procurement fraud related charges.
The accused allegedly received public funds to the tune of N2.1 billion from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) between October 2014 and March 19, 2015.
The funds were said to be for the funding of media activities for the 2015 presidential campaign of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), an offence contrary to Section 58 (4) b and 58 (6) (7) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.
Story by David Oputah
