*Proceeds with trial in defendants’ absence
A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted the request by Adeola Adedipe, a defence lawyer in the trial of former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abulrasheed Maina, to be allowed to withdraw from the case.
Adedipe had, until recently, represented Maina’s company -Common Input Limited – charged as the second defendant in the money laundering trial of the PRTT Chairman.
On Thursday, the lawyer moved the application for leave to withdraw, which he filed on November 25, 2020, which Justice Okon Abang granted in a brief ruling.
Although Adedipe’s application was devoid of any reason for his action, it was learnt the the lawyer elected to withdraw because the defendant did not perfect his brief.
Meanwhile the trial continued on Thursday in the absence of the defendants and their lawyers, with the court entertaining evidence from a witness of the prosecution.
The decision by the court to allow the continuation of the trial was in line with its earlier ruling, allowing the trial to be conducted in the absence of Maina, who the court found to have jumped bail.
Details shortly.
