By Innocent Anaba
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Monday accused former Managing Director of Platinum Habib Bank Plc (Bank PHB), Mr Francis Atuche, of trying to truncate the corruption charges preferred against him.

The EFCC counsel made the accusation at the resumed hearing of the case, in reply to an application by Atuche, urging the court to stay further proceedings pending the outcome of an appeal he lodged at the Court of Appeal.

“We were served with the copy of the application on June 4,  two days to the resumption of this case. The court will recall that this matter was adjourned since March to today (yesterday) for trial by the court and we are ready to go on with the case.

“We have lost four months already and these delays are causing the tax payers a lot of money. We have present in court four witnesses, who are former employees of BankPHB and it may be difficult to assemble them again because they are currently out of job,” the EFCC said.

But Atuche’s counsel denied that they were trying to stall the trial, arguing that his client was only exercising his right to appeal.

According to him,  justice is not only for the prosecution but also for the accused person and is not ashamed to exercise his right whenever he feels dissatisfied with any decision of the court.