Home News Alleged $9.6bn P&ID scam: Commercial director to testify in UK court

Alleged $9.6bn P&ID scam: Commercial director to testify in UK court

by Our Reporter
Mr Muhammed Kuchazi, a Commercial Director of the Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) has been listed to give evidence in a UK  court between Jan. 23 and March 11.

Kuchazi is being prosecuted alongside his company, Kore Holdings Limited on an eight-count charge bordering on failure to comply with regulations of the special control unit against money laundering (SCUML) as required by the Money Laundering Prohibition Act in the alleged 9.6 billion dollars fraud involving the P&ID Ltd,

Kuchazi, in a motion on notice filed before Justice Zainab Abubakar of a Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, by his lawyer, Eric Ifere, prayed the court to allow him travel to the UK to testify in the company’s case against the Nigerian government.

Hearing in the case is scheduled to take place between Jan. 23 and March 11 at the High Court of England.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had, in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/319/2020, sued Kore Holdings Limited and Kuchazi as 1st and 2nd defendants respectively.

The defendants are being tried over their alleged Involvement in the alleged multiple fraud involving the P&ID scandal.

However, Kuchazi’s counsel, Ifere, informed Justice Abubakar on Thursday about the motion on notice he filed, seeking an order to allow his client travel to England to give his evidence.

The development happened shortly after the first prosecution witness, Idiku Catherine Ukpo, who is the Head of Non-financial Transactions Unit of First Bank of Nigeria Ltd, was cross-examined by Ifere and reexamined by EFCC’s lawyer, Bala Sanga.

Hardly had the judge adjourned the matter until Jan. 25 for trial continuation, when Kuchazi’s lawyer told the court that he had a motion, stating the reliefs sought.

He said hearing in the mother case was scheduled for early next year in the UK court and that his client would be giving his testimony in the matter.

Justice Abubakar directed him to apply administratively since the case had already been adjourned.

“If you root the application through the deputy chief registrar, it will be brought to my attention,” she said, assuring that a date would be fixed to hear the motion.

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