Alleged $1.3m Fraud: Judge’s absence stalls trial of Kano APC senatorial candidate

On Monday, a Federal High Court in Kano adjourned until 30 January the trial of the Senatorial Candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for Kano Central District, Abdulkarim Abdulsalam, who is facing corruption charges.

At the resumed retrial on Monday case was moved to January due to the absence of the trial judge, Muhammad Yunusa, who is said to be attending an official event in Lagos State.

Mr Abdulsalam, commonly referred to as AA Zaura, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The anti-corruption agency filed a five-count charge on Mr Abdulsalam at the Federal High Court in Kano for allegedly defrauding a Kuwaiti.

He had earlier approached the Supreme Court to halt the trial. However, the apex court struck out Mr Abdulkarim’s applications and ordered the politician to appear before the Federal High Court in Kano to face the charges against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

READ ALSO: Alleged N7.1 Billion Fraud: EFCC asks Appeal Court to nullify

On 9 June 2020, a trial judge of the Federal High Court in Kano, Lewis Allagoa, dismissed the charges against Mr Abdulkarim. Dissatisfied with the ruling, the EFCC proceeded to the appellate court in Kano. The court in a unanimous decision by a three-man panel, delivered by Abdullahi Bayero, set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court and ordered that the defendant be tried afresh by a different judge.

The case was subsequently assigned to Justice Mohammed Yunusa for retrial at the Federal High Court in Kano.