The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday re-arraigned a former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, his son, Senator Abdulaziz Nyako, along with others before a Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged N40bn fraud.
They were re-arraigned on 37 counts of money laundering allegedly perpetrated while Nyako was governor of Adamawa State.
Others who were re-arraigned along with them included, Zulkifik Abba and Abubakar Aliyu.
Firms allegedly used to perpetrate the fraud and which were joined as the 5th to the 9th defendants were Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited.
The re-arraignment followed the death of the former trial judge, Justice Evoh Chukwu.
They were initially arraigned on August 7, 2015 and the case had proceeded to trial before Justice Chukwu died in June.
The case was subsequently re-assigned to Justice Okon Abang before whom the accused pleaded not guilty again on Monday.
Justice Abang allowed the defendants to continue to attend their trial on bail in the same terms and conditions earlier imposed by the late Justice Chukwu.
The court subsequently fixed November 17 and 21 for trial to begin afresh.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants diverted funds from the Adamawa State treasury between January 2011 and December 2014.
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