Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has adjourned the trial of Mamman Nasir Ali and Christian Taylor, who are facing charges related to an alleged N2.2 billion oil subsidy fraud.
The adjournment was granted on Friday, February 2, 2024, and the proceedings are now scheduled to resume on March 25, 2024, a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission confirmed this on Sunday.
The trial, initiated by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), involves the re-arraignment of the defendants and Nasaman Oil Services Limited on an amended 49-count charge. The charges encompass allegations such as conspiracy to obtain money by pretence, forgery, and the use of false documents.
One of the counts reads:
- “Nasaman Oil Services Ltd, Mamman Nasir Ali, Christian Taylor, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo (now at large) and Olabisi Abdul-Afeez (still at large), on or about the 9th day of November 2011 at Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain the sum of N749,991,273.36 (Seven Hundred and Forty-nine Million, Nine Hundred and Ninety-one Thousand, Two Hundred and Seventy-three Naira Thirty-six Kobo) from the Federal Government of Nigeria by falsely claiming that the sum of N749,991,273.36 represented subsidy accruing to Nasaman Oil Services Ltd under the Petroleum Support Fund for the importation of 10,031,986 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), which Nasaman Oil Services Ltd purported to have purchased from SEATAC Petroleum Ltd of British Virgin Islands and imported into Nigeria through MT Liquid Fortune Ltd of British Virgin Islands and imported into Nigeria through MT Liquid Fortune Ltd Ex MT Overseas Lima, which representation you knew to be false.”
The defendants, Mamman Nasir Ali and Christian Taylor, along with Nasaman Oil Services Limited, pleaded “not guilty” to all the charges levied against them.
The charges are rooted in accusations of fraudulent claims to the tune of millions of Naira from the Federal Government of Nigeria under the Petroleum Support Fund for the purported importation of significant quantities of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
What we know
During Friday’s proceedings, the prosecution counsel, S.K. Atteh, informed the court that one witness was indisposed, and the other faced flight issues, necessitating an adjournment. The defense counsel, Kolade Obafemi, did not object to the request for an adjournment.
Consequently, Justice Mojisola Dada granted the adjournment, rescheduling the trial to March 25 and 26, 2024. This delay offers both the prosecution and defense ample time to prepare their respective cases.
The defendants were initially standing trial before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo at a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja. However, following Justice Onigbanjo’s withdrawal from the case due to health reasons, the matter was reassigned to Justice Dada, marking a pivotal moment in the legal proceedings.
The outcome of this trial will likely have far-reaching implications for the broader discussions around oil subsidy management and financial integrity within the country.
