UPDATE: EFCC RE-ARRAIGNS ATUCHE, TWO OTHERS FOR FORGERY IN LAGOS
Read Time:2 Minute, 26 Second
Francis Atuche, a former managing director of the now-defunct Bank PHB Plc (now Keystone Bank Limited), and two other individuals were re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, on a nine-count charge that borders on forgery and conspiracy to commit a felony.
Atuche was arraigned before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe along with the other two individuals, Uguru Onyike and Nnosiri Joachim (also known as Ifeanyi).
The defendants all entered not guilty pleas once the charge was read to them.
Fanen Anum, the prosecution’s attorney, informed the court that the case was being started from scratch and requested a trial date.
However, even though Anthony Ejere, the first defendant’s attorney, was still convicted in another case, he requested that the court permit his client to benefit from the previous bail that had been granted to him.
Additionally, Clement Onwuenwunor (SAN), the attorney for the second and third defendants, requested that the court permit his clients to take advantage of the previous bail that the court had given them.
In her brief decision, Justice Fadipe supported their attorneys’ request to be let to continue on the bail that Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo (rtd) had granted them.
The judge postponed the trial until May 6, 2025.
Atuche and the two other suspects were originally arraigned before Justice Habeeb Abiru before his elevation as a Justice of the Court of Appeal & subsequently as a Justice of the Supreme Court.
The case consequently started afresh before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo (who has now retired) hence the transfer of the case file to Justice Abike-Fadipe.
Troubles started for Atuche when he contacted Joachim Nnosiri, an office assistant with Keystone Bank’s Central Sharing Services Centre in Lagos, to deliver some allegedly forged documents to the Bank’s corporate headquarters also in Lagos for onward presentation in court as exhibits in an ongoing case between Atuche and EFCC. The alleged forged documents are said to be board resolutions of Future View Securities Limited; Extra Oil Limited and Trajek Nigeria Limited. The documents had been missing from the bank since October 2009.
One of the counts against the defendants read, “Mr Francis Atuche, Nnosiri Joachim (a.k.a Ifeanyi) and Uguru Onyike on or about 4th day of March 2013, in Lagos with the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud ,conspired to commit felony to wit: forgery of a document titled: “BOARD RESOLUTION” of Future View Securities Limited dated 17th December 2007.
Another count read, “Nnosiri Joachim (a.k.a Ifeanyi) on or about 4th day of March 2013 in Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division with intent to defraud knowingly and fraudulently used a false document titled Board Resolution of Trajek Nigeria Limited dated 15th December 2007 which you purported to have been duly signed by one Elizabeth Ebi (a Director of Trajek Nigeria Limited) to Keystone Bank Limited as genuine”.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0