A Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted in absentia, a British citizen, James Nolan, a director in the controversial Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) Ltd, on charges bordering on money laundering offences.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, in a judgment on Monday, also found his co-defendant, Micad Project City Services Ltd, guilty as charged and accordingly convicted it too
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuted Nolan and Micah Project on 20-count, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/9/2022, bordering on money laundering, forgery and obtaining by false pretence. They were arraigned in 2022.
At trial, the prosecution called six witnesses and tendered several documents as exhibits before closing its case.
Lawyer to the defendants, Michael Ajara, elected to rest the defence’s case on that of the prosecution and failed to call evidence in rebuttal of the charge against them.
In his judgment, Justice Egwuatu convicted Nolan on all the counts, except count 13 and held that the Briton, who jumped bail during trial, would be sentenced upon his arrest and production before the court by the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL).
He also convicted Micad Ltd on counts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11.
Justice Egwuatu said: “I am satisfied that the prosecution called credible witnesses and tendered documentary evidence to establish its case against the defendants.”
He struck out count 13 on the grounds that the alleged offence charged in the count predated the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011.
The judge, who also found the defendants guilty of forgery, upheld the argument of the lawyer to the prosecution, Bala Sanga, that except the late Lloyd Quinn, another director in Micad Ltd was to have resurrected, could not have sign the documents he was said to have signed three years after his death.
The judge held that Quinn, who died in 2014, could not have signed the documents in 2017.
Justice Egwuatu further held that Nolan was prosecuted in absentia in line with Section 352(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
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Nolan who was remanded in Kuje prison after his arraignment, was later released after he met the conditions attached to a N100million bail granted him.
He later fled Nigeria around September 2022 following which an arrest warrant was issued against him.
Nolan was said to have been re-arrested by the INTERPOL in Italy on January 27, 2024, when he visited his wife.
He is yet to be brought back to Nigeria.
It is recalled that in another proceeding before a separate judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Donatus Okorowo (now of the Court of Appeal), the court, on July 3, 2024 ordered the closure of two other companies linked to Nolan over their involvement in the P&ID Ltd fraud.
Justice Okorowo, in two separate judgments, held that the two companies were found guilty of money laundering offences and ordered that the companies be wound up and their assets forfeited to the Federal Government.
The companies are Trinity Biotech Nigeria Limited and Resorts Express Concept Nigeria Ltd.
