The next hearing in the N3.1 billion money laundering trial of former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam has been pushed to July 16. That delay, announced Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, came because neither the prosecution nor the defense showed up to adopt their final written addresses. A straightforward procedural hiccup.
But the real risk now is what happens next. Both sides have finished presenting evidence.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission called nine witnesses. Suswam, testifying as the sole defense witness, closed out his side. The case is in its closing stretch.
The next step is for each party to formally argue why the law favors them. The judge will then decide.
That sounds simple. It is not. The trial has already hit procedural snags.
Monday was supposed to be the day for adopting final addresses. Instead, it was a reset. July 16 is the new date.
One delay can lead to another. Court calendars are crowded.
A single absence, a judge’s illness, a motion for an extension — any of those could push the decision weeks or months further out. The stakes are high. Suswam and his co-defendant, former state Commissioner for Finance Omodachi Okolobia, face 11 counts of money laundering.
The EFCC alleges that between August 8 and October 30, 2014, the two men used two companies — Elixir Securities Ltd and Elixir Investment Partners Limited — to divert N3.1 billion. The money, prosecutors say, came from the sale of shares owned by the Benue State Government, sold through the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited.
The case took a significant turn last July 23. Justice Lifu dismissed the defendants’ no-case submission. That is a legal maneuver where the defense argues the prosecution has not presented enough evidence to warrant a trial.
The judge ruled that the EFCC had established a prima facie case — enough evidence on the surface for the trial to proceed. That ruling forced Suswam and Okolobia to mount a defense. They did.
Now the final arguments are pending. The risk of further delay is real.
The defense could file motions. The prosecution could request more time to prepare its final address. Either side could miss another hearing.
The court has already shown it will reset matters when parties are absent. That pattern could repeat.
What is being done to prevent that? The court set a firm date: July 16. That is the next opportunity for both sides to adopt their final written addresses.
If they show up, the judge can hear arguments and then take the case under advisement. A judgment could follow within weeks. If they do not show up, the cycle of delay continues.
The trial has been long. The charges date back to 2014.
The no-case submission was dismissed last July. The defense closed its case after that. Now the finish line is in sight, but it keeps moving.
The July 16 date is the next chance to stop that movement. For the EFCC, a conviction would be a major win — a former governor and his finance commissioner found guilty of laundering N3.1 billion in state funds.
For the defense, an acquittal would clear their clients after years of legal proceedings. For the public, the risk is that the case drags on until the details fade and the accountability becomes abstract. July 16 is not a verdict.
It is a hearing to adopt final addresses. That is the next hurdle. After that, the judge decides.
Unless something else goes wrong.
