The trial of former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, who are facing charges of alleged N7.9 billion fraud, has been adjourned by a Federal High Court in Abuja. The trial was initially scheduled for October 17, 2023, but has now been rescheduled for November 14, 2023, due to time constraints.
Stella Oduah was notably absent in court during the adjournment, and no reason was provided for her absence, although her legal representation and that of the Federal Government were present.
Oduah and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation are facing a total of 25 charges, including conspiracy, money laundering, and maintaining anonymous bank accounts with a commercial bank. These charges involve financial transactions that allegedly took place between March 31 and April 1, 2014, as well as between March 5 and May 30, 2014.
The charges allege that the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation transferred significant sums of money to private banking nominee accounts, which were suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities, specifically fraud. Both Oduah and eight others pleaded not guilty to these charges when they were arraigned on July 21, 2023.
The adjournment of the trial underscores the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding this high-profile case.