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Lastest News Nigeria, Politics, Business, Sport, Interview
In the ongoing trial over the alleged murder of his ex-Nigerian lover, Ummukulsum Buhari, a Chinese national named Geng Quangrong, a Kano State High Court yesterday ordered the state government to provide an interpreter for the Chinese national.
Geng’s plea could not be accepted, thus the court was about to issue an order.
Geng was charged with one count of potentially culpable homicide in violation of section 221 of the criminal code at his arraignment before the court.
Invoking provision 36(6)(a)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, the defense attorney, Muhammad Dan’azumi, requested the court to provide an interpreter for his client when the matter came up for re-arraignment (as amended).
“My Lord,” he cried, “the defendant is not a Nigerian, the court’s English is a peculiar language, and the defendant needs to comprehend the charges on which he is being tried.
The defendant has a fundamental right to an interpreter, which he is investigating.
In response, the prosecutor’s attorney and the attorney general of Kano State, Musa Abdullahi-Lawan, informed the court that he had instructed the DPP to contact the Chinese Embassy and the Chinese Community in Kano to request an interpreter on the defendant’s behalf.
“At the most recent delayed hearing on September 29, the defendant talked clearly in English. However, the defense attorney claimed that because the English spoken in court is different from other Englishes, his client doesn’t understand it very well.
We proactive actioned to submit a letter to the Chinese Embassy and Chinese Community in Kano requesting an interpreter on behalf of the defendant because the constitution supports the provision of an interpreter.
The case will be resolved quickly once we have an interpreter, according to Abdullahi-Lawan.
However, the matter was postponed until October 27, 2022 by the presiding court, Justice Sanusi Ado-Ma’aji, so that the Kano State Government could provide an interpreter for the defendant.
