By Ayo Kehinde
The Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted in absentia a British national, James Nolan, a director in the controversial Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) Ltd, over multiple counts bordering on money laundering, forgery and obtaining by false pretence.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Obiora Egwuatu also convicted Micad Project City Services Limited, Nolan’s co-defendant, after finding both defendants guilty on several counts filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The anti-graft agency prosecuted Nolan and Micad Project City Services Ltd on a 20-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/9/2022 bordering on money laundering, forgery and obtaining by false pretence. At the trial, the prosecution called six witnesses and tendered several documentary exhibits before closing its case.
Counsel to the defendants, Michael Ajara, however, rested the defence on the prosecution’s case and failed to call any witness in rebuttal.
In his judgment, Justice Egwuatu convicted Nolan on all counts except Count 13, which the court struck out on the grounds that the alleged offence predated the enactment of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
The judge held that Nolan, who absconded during trial after being granted bail, would be sentenced upon his arrest and production before the court by the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL).
Micad Project City Services Ltd was convicted on Counts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11.
Justice Egwuatu held that the prosecution successfully established its case through credible witnesses and documentary evidence.
“I am satisfied that the prosecution called credible witnesses and tendered documentary evidence to establish its case against the defendants,” the judge said.
On the forgery allegations, the court upheld the prosecution’s submission that one of the signatures contained in disputed documents could not have been authentic because the signatory, former company director Lloyd Quinn, had died years earlier.
The court agreed with prosecution counsel, Bala Sanga, that Quinn, who died in 2014, could not have signed documents purportedly executed in 2017.
Justice Egwuatu further ruled that Nolan’s trial in absentia was conducted in line with Section 352(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
Nolan was initially remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre following his arraignment but was later released after meeting the conditions attached to a N100 million bail granted by the court. He subsequently fled Nigeria around September 2022, prompting the issuance of a warrant for his arrest.
Reports indicated that Nolan was rearrested by INTERPOL in Italy on January 27, 2024, during a visit to his wife. However, he is yet to be extradited to Nigeria.
In a related development, Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Court of Appeal, while serving at the Federal High Court in Abuja, on July 3, 2024, ordered the winding up of two other companies linked to Nolan over their involvement in the P&ID fraud scandal.
The companies including Trinity Biotech Nigeria Limited and Resorts Express Concept Nigeria Ltd, were found guilty of money laundering offences, with the court ordering the forfeiture of their assets to the Federal Government.
