Due to the absence of the trial judge, Justice Nicholas Oweibo, the trial of musician Azeez Fashola, also known as Naira Marley, was halted on Tuesday.
There was no explanation given for Justice Oweibo’s absence who sat for four weeks over the court’s yearly holiday, and no new trial date has been set.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed an 11-count complaint against Naira Marley, accusing him of money laundering and cyber fraud.
On May 20, 2019, he was arraigned, pled not guilty, and was released on bail.
The court then set bail at N2 million, with two sureties in the same amount.
The defendant, according to the EFCC, committed the crimes on various dates between November 26, 2018, and December 11, 2018, as well as on May 10, 2019.
The commission claimed that Naira Marley and his alleged accomplices colluded to cheat their victims by using various Access Bank ATM cards.
The anti-graft agency said that the defendant obtained dishonest financial gains by using a bank credit card issued to another person.
The EFCC further claimed that the defendant had counterfeit credit cards belonging to several people, which amounted to theft, and that he had them with the purpose to defraud.
Nicole Louise Malyon and Timea Fedorne Tatar were named on some of the credit cards, according to the anti-graft agency.
The EFCC said that the alleged offense violated sections 1 23 (1) (b), 27 (1), and 33(9) of the Cyber Crime (Prohibition) Prevention Act, 2015.
If found guilty under Section 33 (2) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention, and Other Measures) Act, 2015, he faces a sentence of seven years in prison.
Ada Peter
