A former governor of Benue State and serving senator, Gabriel Suswam has been re-arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja over an alleged N3.1 billion fraud.

Suswam was on Monday re-arraigned alongside a former Commissioner for Finance in Benue State, Omadachi Oklobia on an amended 11-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Both men were re-arraigned at a federal high court in Abuja on Monday, on an 11-count charge bordering on money laundering.

EFCC amended the earlier nine-count charge on which the defendants were first arraigned in 2015, raising the counts to 11.

They were first arraigned before Justice Ahmed Mohammed, a judge of the federal high court, in 2015.

However, Mohammed recused himself from the case following the allegation that he was bribed by the defendants to make a favourable judgement.

The case was later re-assigned to another judge, Justice Okon Abang, before whom the trial started afresh and progressed, with the prosecution calling three witnesses until proceedings were halted on account of an order of the Court of Appeal, directing that the case be returned to Justice Mohammed for continuation.

The Court of Appeal had, in a judgment delivered on February 19, upheld Suswam’s appeal and faulted the manner in which Justice Mohammad recused himself from the case.

Justice Mohammed adjourned the trial to December 15.