The Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out an eight-count forgery charge against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as the Director-General of the alleged non-existent Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).
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Justice Mohammed Umar terminated proceedings on Monday following an application by the Federal Government, represented by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
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The charge was initially filed by the police before the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation took over the prosecution at the previous court sitting.
When the case was called on Monday, Oyedepo informed the court that a review of the case file had revealed issues that prompted the Attorney-General to withdraw the charge.
He also told the court that the government intended to transfer the matter to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory for a fresh arraignment.
According to the prosecution, the alleged forgery offences involving documents reportedly used by Adeyemi in operating the purported agency could be prosecuted before the FCT High Court rather than the Federal High Court.
Adeyemi’s lawyer, Ibrahim Angulu, SAN, did not oppose the application to strike out the charge.
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Adeyemi had been in detention since July 14, when he was arrested following a bench warrant issued by the court. He was subsequently arraigned on allegations relating to forgery, fraud and impersonation, but pleaded not guilty.
Following his plea, the court ordered that he be remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre pending further proceedings.
The defendant had also applied for bail, telling the court that he was suffering from a contagious illness requiring urgent medical attention from his doctors. The prosecution opposed the application, arguing that the government had facilities to attend to his health needs.
The planned hearing of the bail application could not proceed following the withdrawal of the charge.
Among those earlier listed as potential witnesses were the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; Paul Emmanuel; Jeremiah Imoukhede; and Ituah Sylvester.
Other proposed witnesses included civil servants from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, as well as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
The withdrawal of the charge brings the proceedings before the Federal High Court to an end, while the prosecution indicated that it planned to pursue a fresh arraignment before the FCT High Court.
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