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Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Lagos has stepped down from the ongoing $42.48 million fraud case involving a British citizen and two Indian nationals accused of defrauding Ecobank Plc through a failed rice importation transaction.
The decision followed concerns raised by the judge over a petition filed against him during the course of the proceedings.
The case involves British national Marcus Wade and Indian nationals Prem Garg and Devashish Garg, alongside their firms, Wilben Trade Limited and Agrico Agbe Limited.
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation had instituted criminal charges against the defendants, accusing them of conspiracy, fraud and obtaining money under false pretences.
Prosecutors alleged that the defendants secured $42.48 million from Ecobank in 2015 after presenting a rice importation deal that later became the subject of dispute.
The matter, which was filed before the court in 2022, has experienced repeated delays. Despite several
