Court rules on no case submission filed by Sen. Jang today

The No Case Submission filed by Senator Jonah David Jang would come up on Tuesday (today) in the case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against him and a cashier in the office of the Secretary to the Plateau State Government, Yakubu Pam, over alleged dishonest mismanagement, diversion and enriching themselves with the state funds during his era as the Governor of Plateau State.
The record of the court shows that the Motion was dated November 30, 2019, but filed on December 2, 2019, while the reply of the EFCC was dated December 23 and filed same day.
However, while adopting their Written Addresses, the Prosecution told the Court that there are lots of errors in it, owing to “hurriness”, while the 1st Defendant, through his Counsel, Edward Pwajok (SAN), had also told the Court that the Written Address of the EFCC indicated that they are relying on a different day they were served the Motion and further drawing several conclusions in their address.
Pwajok pointed out that the court may not have time to deliver on the matter.
Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), while adopting and adumbrating on his written address in response to the Motion, in part said: “On the process, it is only on Saturday that I sat to look at the written address. My lord would recall that the court had done trial within trial hence I know it was going to be a long period for the court to conclude this case.
“I am not complaining, but why are they in a hurry now for the court to rule?
“Today’s proceeding is very crucial to me! The issue is, whether the court can conclude the matter this way? I have a Motion/Application for extension of time my lord and owing to the hurriness, there are serious and noticeable errors, which need to be corrected.”
Pwajok, while reacting to the submissions of Jacobs, in part also said: “They said the EFCC was served on the 4th of December, 2019 and now they are saying that the EFCC was served on the 16th. We have also observed several defects and they have also made several conclusions by saying that, the court has no time to deliver justice on the matter.
“We are on No Case Submission and in one sentence, this matter can be concluded.
“I therefore call on all of us to cooperate to bring to conclusion, this matter.
“Even if we allow this matter as it is now, the court would have read the processes and the application before our reply.
“The case is now over one year and half and one of the Defendants, Sen. Jonah David Jang, is over 70 years. It is better for them to know their fate and rest well with it.
“I would however be shocked if the prosecution met us point for point!”
You would however recall that the Presiding Judge in the matter, Justice Daniel Longji, was supposed to have had his last sitting on December 20, 2019 owing to his retirement, but the Plateau State Chief Judge has granted him fiat to sit up to December 31, 2019 to enable him clear his table and deliver necessary judgments and rulings.
After listening to the submission of the Counsel to the 1st Defendant, Pwajok; S. Oyawole for the 2nd Defendant; and Jacobs for the Prosecution (EFCC), the court adjourned to the December 31, 2019 to deliver its ruling on the Motion.