Fred Ajudua.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Tuesday re-arrested Fred Ajudua, a one-time Lagos socialite, in connection with the alleged $1.04 million fraud trial.
A source disclosed that the anti-graft agency operatives arrested Ajudua in Abuja on, and he is currently in its custody.
His arrest came some days after the Supreme Court dismissed the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Lagos that granted bail to Ajudua.
The Supreme Court, last Friday, in a unanimous judgment, revoked the bail granted Ajudua by the Court of Appeal and ordered the reinstatement of the ruling of the lower court, which declined the bail application.
The apex court directed that the Chief Judge of Lagos State should reassign the case to Mojisola Dada, a judge at the Lagos high court, to continue the trial.
Ajudua is standing trial in a case that began in 2005 for allegedly defrauding Zad Abu Zalaf, a Palestinian, of $1,043,000.
He was arraigned on a 12-count charge bordering on forgery and conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence by the EFCC.
The case was initially assigned to Morenike Obadina, a judge at the Lagos high court, but arraignment did not take place.
The case was later reassigned to Josephine Oyefeso, another judge, before it was reassigned again to Dada.
He was finally arraigned on June 4, 2018.
At the arraignment in June 2018, Dada, the trial judge, denied Ajudua’s bail application due to the prolonged delay suffered by the case.
He approached the Court of Appeal in Lagos, which granted him bail on September 10, 2018.
Displeased with the judgment, the anti-graft agency approached the apex court over the bail judgment.
