The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has declared a British citizen, James Nolan wanted for jumping bail in the Process and Industrial Development Limited, P&ID case. James Nolan is one of the Directors of the P&ID Company standing trial in a fraud-related case in Nigeria alongside Lurgi Consult and others, in a $9.6billion money laundry allegation. The presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed yesterday disclosed that Mr. Nolan broke his terms of bail condition granted by the court after an EFCC application.
Accordingly, the judge revoked the order and ordered the surety to appear before the court on the next adjoined date and declared why he should not forfeit the bail bond.
The prosecution counsel, Bala Sanga, was prepared to proceed with the cross-examination of prosecuting witness 1, Temitope Erinomo when he learned Mr. Nolan has failed to appear before the court.
Sanga expressed dismay after learning that the first defendant, Lurgi Consult has never been represented since the commencement of the trial.
He said EFCC investigation revealed that the property surrendered by the surety in Gwagwalada, Abuja was not worth 100million as he claimed.
Meanwhile, the defense counsel, Michael Ajara claimed that Nolan’s disappearance appeared strange as he has been consistently in court through the trial except when he took ill.
Ajara said, “His medical report shows that he has bipolar, a history of mental illness; it is uncertain if the defendant is fine. We have notified the police, the prosecution, and efforts to ascertain his whereabouts have proven abortive.”
However, the court told Ajara that the court does not operate on hearsay except he can provide facts.
Justice Mohammed said, “The second defendant is nowhere to be found and there is no justification with a certainty of his whereabouts”,
Therefore, in his ruling on Sanga prayer, the Judge revoked Nolan’s bail, seized the bond, and granted a bench warrant for his arrest.