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Thursday 15 August 2013

$1.69m fraud: Ajudua rushed to LUTH from Kirikiri prisons


Lagos lawyer, Mr Fred Ajudua, who is standing trial before a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja over allegations of fraud has been rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) over complications of kidney problems.

Ajudua, who is presently under intensive care in a private ward at the hospital, is standing trial alongside an associate, Charles Orie, before Justice Olubunmi Oyewole.

The defendant, who was remanded in prison custody by the court had claimed in his bail application that he had only one functional kidney which is also overworked.

Ajudua was said to have developed serious health complications at about 2.00p.m. on Wednesday and was rushed to the medical facility of the prisons where he was referred to LUTH

According to information, his only functional kidney developed complications that required a catheter to extract his urine along the line, this also had issues which led to swelling of his bladder and subsequently, he began to pass blood rather than urine .

At the moment, he is said to be in critical condition at LUTH, where he is likely to undergo another surgery.

It will be recalled that Ajudua and his accomplice were arraigned on May 30, 2003, for allegedly defrauding two Dutch businessmen – Messrs Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen, of 1.69 million US dollars (N252.8 million).

At the last hearing of the matter, Ajudua’s counsel, Mr Allens Agbaka, had informed the court that the defence had petitioned the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, to remove Justice Oyewole from further sitting over the trial.

Agbaka also sought for an adjournment of the trial, pending the decision of Justice Phillips to transfer the case to another judge.

In the application– which was supported by a six-paragraph affidavit– Agbaka alleged that Justice Oyewole  made a prejudicial remark while ruling on Ajudua’s bail application on June 25, 2013

The matter was adjourned till September 24, 2013 for further hearing pending the Chief Judge’s decision