The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday stayed proceedings to allow the former officials of the Nigerian Football Association (NFA) to appeal the court’s decision on the no-case-submission filed by the accused persons over N1.3 billion scam.
Sani Lulu Abdullahi, Amanze Uchegbulam, Bolaji Ojo-Oba and Taiwo Ogunjobi, all former employees of the NFA were charged with embezzling the sum by the EFCC.
Ruling on the application filed by the accused persons, Justice Donatus Okorowo, said the application had merit.
“The trial court is always obligated to stay proceedings on a matter when a notice of appeal is served over a particular action it took in the course of the trial.
“The accused had gone to appeal a decision the court took on Feb. 9 that they must face trial because the charges had linked them to the crime.
“The legal system is a process and therefore the court is now obliged to stay the proceeding pending the determination of the appeal, the matter is however adjourned to April 25 for the court to obtain a progress report,’’ he said.
Okorowo had ruled that the accused persons being public officers were liable to be prosecuted under the Nigerian Law.
He had said NFA was a public entity and individuals entrusted with responsibility to oversee the establishment were liable to be accountable to the Nigerian State.
Okorowo had insisted that the accused persons were rightly charged based on the country’s penal code.
The accused persons, who were arraigned on Sept. 7, 2010, had pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
They argued that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the charges brought against them by an anti-graft body not known to the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA).
They further submitted that the NFA was an autonomous body and could not be subjected to answer charges framed by an agency of the Federal Government.?