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Justice Mohammad Yunusa of the Federal high court, Kano on Thursday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to produce the Kano central senatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdulsalam Abdulkarim Zaura, before the court.
Zaura is standing trial for alleged US$1.3 million fraud against a Kuwaiti national, prosecuted by the EFCC.
When the case came up for arraignment on Thursday, Justice Yunusa overruled the application challenging his jurisdiction to trial and other addresses bothering on whether Zaura should appear in person for arraignment.
Justice Yunusa who insisted that the trial appearance of Zaura for arraignment is a position of the constitution, however, instructed the EFCC to produce Zaura for arraignment on the adjourned date, when all pending applications could be attained.
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Prior to the ruling, counsel to Zaura, Barrister I.G Waru had filed an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court to arraign his client for retrial. Waru argued the lower court lacked jurisdiction to sit on the case which is already on appeal before the supreme court.
In his counter-reaction, the prosecution counsel, A.I Aroghn who urged the court to discountenance the stand of the defense noted that an accused person must be docked to take a plea before any prayer could be taken.
Although, Justice Yunusa had afforded the parties the opportunity to file addresses before the court to defend and against, whether or not the defendant applicant should appear in court for arraignment.
However, the court was compelled to take definite decision that, Zaura must appear in court after the parties failed to perfect responses to their addresses within the limited period.
