Alleged $1.32m Fraud: Defence Counsel’s Absence Stalls Arraignment Off Kano Senatorial Candidate
THE arraignment of the Kano Central Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdulkarim Saleh Abdulsalam (aka A.A Zaura), on multiple fraud charges before a Federal High Court, Kano suffered yet another postponement yesterday, 30th January, owing to the absence of the defence counsel.
It is the fourth time the arraignment failed to proceed mostly because of the politician’s failure to appear in court.
At the last adjourned date, the matter could not go on due to the absence of both the Zaura and the trial judge.
But Zaura was in court today, having been picked up at his residence by operatives of the Commission.
However, when the matter was called, the prosecution counsel, A.T Habib informed the court that she was in receipt of a letter from the defence counsel, I.G Waru, informing her that he would not be in court as he has a matter at the Supreme Court.
Justice M. N Yunusa adjourned the matter till 6th February 2023 to enable Zaura to take his plea with his counsel present in court.
Zaura is being re-arraigned by the Kano Zonal Command of the EFCC in obedience to the Court of Appeal ruling, which directed his retrial after dismissing his acquittal by Justice A. L Allagoa of a Federal High Court.
The politician allegedly defrauded a Kuwaiti Citizen of the sum of One Million Three Hundred and Twenty Thousand Dollars ($1,320,000) on the pretext that he is in the business of building properties in Dubai, Kuwait and other Arab countries.
