An Ikeja Special Offences Court has fixed May 4 for ruling in a trial-within-trial involving Henry Omoile, co-defendant with former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele.
The court adjourned the matter after hearing arguments from counsel on the admissibility of statements allegedly made by Omoile.
The trial-within-trial, a legal procedure to determine whether a defendant’s statement was obtained voluntarily, became necessary following objections by the defence, which challenged the circumstances under which the statement was made.
During proceedings, defence counsel argued that the statement was not voluntarily given and urged the court to reject it as evidence. However, the prosecution maintained that due process was followed in obtaining the statement and prayed the court to admit it.
The presiding judge subsequently adjourned the case to May 4 to deliver a ruling on the admissibility of the contested statement.
Omoile is standing trial alongside Emefiele on charges bordering on alleged financial crimes. The outcome of the court’s ruling is expected to determine the next phase of the proceedings.
