The Bayelsa State High Court has denied culpability or external influence in the protracted trial and detention of some domestic aides of former first lady Patience Jonathan.
The court attributed the delay in the trial overseen by Chief Judge Matilda Ayemieye to frequent changes in defence lawyers, leading to the defendants’ six-year incarceration.
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“His Lordship granted accelerated hearing to enable parties to conduct the matter speedily,” Julius Nyananyo, the head of media and information to the Bayelsa State High Court, said in a statement on Monday.
“From available records, the matter has suffered delays due to multiple defence lawyers who must cross-examine witnesses, which has slowed down proceedings.”
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Punch Newspaper reported on Saturday how some domestic workers have been held in jail since 2019 over a case of theft of Mrs Jonathan’s belongings, including seven gold bangles and jewelry, and five Samsung air conditioners.
The detainees are Williams Alami, Vincent Olabiyi, Ebuka Cosmos, John Dashe, Tamunokuro Abaku, Emmanuel Aginwa, Erema Deborah, Precious Kingsley, Tamunosiki Achese, Sunday Reginald, Vivian Golden, Emeka Benson, Boma Oba, among others.
They face 18 charges of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit felony, and burglary.
One of the defendants, who spoke to Punch newspapers from prison, lamented that they were being unlawfully detained.
The detainee said the police had yet to present any evidence against them.
Judiciary’s statement denying culpability in the plights of the detainees, came on the heels of similar denial by the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) in Bayelsa State, South-south Nigeria.
Denying wrongdoing in a statement on Sunday, the Bayelsa State command of NCoS refuted allegations that its top officials connived with Mrs Jonathan to orchestrate the detention of about 15 of her former domestic workers at the Okaka Custodial Centre in Bayelsa State.
The Bayelsa State High Court also said on Monday that there was no judicial complicity in the delay of the trial.
“As a responsible organisation, we want to set the records straight in the interest of justice and balanced reportage,” the statement said.
It noted that the defendants are being tried on serious charges, including armed robbery and attempted murder.
It recalled that the case was assigned to the trial judge, Mrs Ayemieye, in 2019, before she became the Chief Judge, and how she had been committed to the speedy determination of the case.
Part of the steps she took to ensure a quick conclusion of the case, according to the High Court’s statement, was ordering an accelerated hearing in the case.
But the statement said, the frequent changes of defence lawyers in the case and the need for a trial-within-trial, have led to the delays suffered by the case.
“Only recently, an application for a Trial within a Trial was made, which the court granted. This obviously will further delay the case,” he noted.
Bail denied
The statement also justified the court’s decision to deny the defendants bail, which resulted in defendants’ incarceration for nearly six years.
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“Applications were determined on the merits and based on the materials furnished. Some of the defendants were admitted to bail.
“If anyone was dissatisfied, there is a mechanism for review of the same by appealing to the higher Courts,” the statement read.
In Nigeria, the complaint of unduly protracted trials caused by frequent adjournments is an undeniable problem of the country’s criminal justice system.
In many cases, economically disadvantaged defendants, either denied bail or unable to meet their bail conditions, are the most adversely affected as they spend long periods in prison awaiting trial.
Conversely, influential and politically exposed people accused of high-profile white-collar crimes are hardly denied bail even. With their ability to hire topnotch lawyers, such defendants often return to the court for a review of the bail conditions that appear too stringent for them to meet. More often than not, such applications for review often succeed.
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