Hearing will resume on Wednesday in the alleged embezzlement of about N1.3 billion by four chieftains of the past Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation.
To face trial at the Abuja Federal High Court are the quartet of Sani Lulu Abdulahi, Amanze Uchegbulam, Dr. Bolaji Ojo-Oba and Taiwo Ogunjobi.
Lulu, the former president, and three others had earlier sought for an order to quash the charges against them by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission.
However, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on February 9, 2012, ruled that the four former officials of the NFF, who are being prosecuted by the EFCC, have a case to answer and therefore must face trial.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Donatus Okorowa, said that the accused persons being public officers are liable to be prosecuted under the Nigerian Law.
Okorowa said: “There is a prima-facie case against them so they are liable to be tried.
“NFF is a public entity and individuals entrusted with responsibility therefore they are liable to be tried in order to make them accountable.”
Quoting section 51(8) of the procurement Act, Okorowa said the accused persons “are rightly charged as they are individuals on the board.
“Charges can be preferred against any entity and even individual representing such entities.”
They were arraigned on September 7, 2010.
The court also insisted that it had jurisdiction to hear the criminal case since the NFF is still a government entity under the supervision of National Sports Commission.
It would be recalled that the defence counsel entered a preliminary objection early in 2010 praying the court to quash the 10-count charge preferred against the accused on the grounds that the NFF was an autonomous and private association affiliated to FIFA, which is governed by its own statutes and therefore not subjected to government control and interference.
The defence also argued that the accused are not public officers or a procurement entity, therefore cannot be liable under the procurement Act.
The former NFF chiefs through their counsels also challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the 10-count charge against them as they argued that it is only FIFA that has the jurisdiction to prosecute them.
But the EFCC, on January 20, 2011, challenged the application filed by the four officials praying the court to quash the charges brought against them by the anti-graft agency.
While delivering his ruling, Okorowa said he took all the arguments from both the defence and prosecution into consideration.