Judge Recuses Self from $42.4m Ecobank Fraud Case Involving Briton, Two Indians*

A federal high court in Lagos has withdrawn from the trial of a British national and two Indian nationals accused of defrauding Ecobank Plc of $42.48 million.

Justice Akintayo Aluko announced his recusal after revealing that an anonymous petition alleging gross misconduct against him had been traced to the chambers of a legal practitioner.

The defendants, Briton Marcus Wade and Indian nationals Prem Garg and Devashish Garg, are being prosecuted by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) on charges of conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretences and fraud. Two companies, Wilben Trade Limited and Agrico Agbe Limited, are also listed as defendants.

According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly secured $42.48 million from Ecobank in 2015 under the pretext of financing rice importation into Nigeria.

Although the case was filed in 2022, the defendants have yet to appear in court to take their plea. They were again absent when the matter came up on Monday.

During the proceedings, Justice Aluko addressed the petition filed against him following an earlier adjournment granted at the request of counsel to the nominal complainant. He dismissed allegations of misconduct, insisting that he had acted in accordance with judicial procedures.

The judge noted that the defendants had repeatedly failed to appear despite several notices issued by the court and rejected claims of irregular communication with any party involved in the matter.

“I do not have any personal interest in this case. Thousands of cases pass through this court, and this matter is not an exception,” he said.

To preserve the integrity of the proceedings, Aluko stepped aside from the case and directed that the file be returned to the chief judge for reassignment to another judge.

The case has faced multiple delays since its filing, with proceedings yet to reach the arraignment stage due to the continued absence of the defendants.