FG withdraws property fraud charge against Ozekhome

FG withdraws property fraud charge against Ozekhome

By Jeffrey Agbo

Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), on Tuesday withdrew the federal government’s charge for alleged property fraud filed against top lawyer Prof. Mike Ozekhome SAN.

Ozekhome was taken to court before Justice Peter Kekemeke of the FCT High Court, Maitama, Abuja, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on a three-count charge.

In the earlier sitting, the Director, Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo SAN, informed the court that the AGF was taking over the case from ICPC and asked for an adjournment to enable the AGF study the case file.

At the resumed sitting, Oyedepo informed the court that he was instructed by the AGF to withdraw the charge against the defendant pursuant to Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

According to the DPPF, the withdrawal was to enable the AGF to strengthen his review of all the cases before all the agencies.

Paul Erokoro SAN, counsel for Ozekhome who led over 15 SANs and a retinue of lawyers, had no objection to the application for withdrawal of the charge.

Based on this development, the court subsequently struck out the instant charge.

In the three-count charges obtained from ICPC, count one alleges that Ozekhome, sometime in August 2021 or thereabout in London, within the jurisdiction of the court, directly received House 79, Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, purportedly given to him by one Mr Shani Tali.

The act he knew constituted a felony and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 13 and punishable under Section 24 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

In count two, Ozekhome was alleged to have, sometime in August 2021 or thereabout, while being a legal practitioner and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, did make a false document with a Nigerian passport: A07535463, bearing the name of Mr Shani.

ICPC alleged that the senior lawyer did this with a plan to use same to support the claim of ownership of property known and described as “79, Randall Avenue, London NW2 78X with intent to commit fraud.”

The offence, according to the commission, is contrary to Section 363 and punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code CAP 532 Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, 2006.

Count three accused Ozekhome of dishonestly used as genuine, a false “Nigeria passport A07535463, bearing the name of Mr Shani Tali to support claim of ownership of property known and described as ’79, Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX,’ when he had reason to believe that the said document was false.

The ICPC said the offence is contrary to Section 366 and punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code CAP 532 Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, 2006.