Metro
Oronsaye: Judge lambasts EFCC over shoddy investigation
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Tuesday, came under heavy criticism in its handling of the case the agency brought against a former Head of Service of Federation, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court in Abuja, blamed the EFCC for engaging in what he termed “shoddy investigations and untidy trial of cases”.
According to Justice Kolawole, he was disappointed that the anti-graft agency chose to amend the charge it brought before him against the former Head of Service of the Federation barely 24 hours to the commencement of full-blown trial on the matter.
“This is a very untidy manner of handling criminal prosecution and goes to further buttress the observation that the Chief Justice of Nigeria made recently to the effect that criminal trials in this court are delayed by the fact that the prosecuting agencies always resort to arresting accused persons first before investigation, rather than properly investigating cases before rushing to court.
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“The question any reasonable person will ask is whether while the allegation in the former charge was being investigated, issues that formed the crux of this new charge were not there?
“Indeed I am deeply concerned that the state only realised 24 hours to hearing, that it needed to bring an amended charge”, Justice Kolawole queried.
Justice Kolawole had originally fixed Monday for the EFCC to open its case against Orosanye who was hitherto answering to a 24-count criminal charge alongside his alleged accomplice, Mr. Osarenkhoe Afe.
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