FG CHARGES OZEKHOME WITH FORGERY, FALSE DOCUMENTS OVER DISPUTED LONDON PROPERTY
Read Time:3 Minute, 5 Second
The Federal Government has filed a criminal charge against senior advocate, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), over alleged forgery and use of false documents in connection with a disputed property in the United Kingdom.
The three-count charge, marked FCT/HC/CR/010/2026, was filed on Friday before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja by prosecutors acting on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
The charge was instituted by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, head of the High-Profile Prosecution Department of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), alongside Ngozi Onwuka, an assistant chief legal officer.
Ozekhome is accused of knowingly presenting forged documents, including a Nigerian international passport, to support his claim of ownership of a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, during proceedings before the London First-Tier Tribunal.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences were committed in August 2021 in Maitama, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the FCT High Court.
The charge sheet contains three counts bordering on giving false information, use of forged documents, and attempting to deceive a public authority.
In Count One, the Federal Government alleged that Ozekhome directly received the London property from one Mr Shani Tali, an act it said constituted a felony, contrary to provisions of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
Count Two accused the senior advocate of making a false document — a Nigerian passport bearing the name of Mr Shani Tali — with intent to use it to support a fraudulent claim of ownership of the London property, contrary to the Penal Code Laws of the Federal Capital Territory.
In Count Three, Ozekhome was accused of dishonestly using the said forged passport as genuine, despite having reason to believe that the document was false.
The Federal Government listed several witnesses it intends to call during the trial, including investigators and a representative of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).
Documents expected to be tendered as exhibits include the judgment of the London First-Tier Tribunal, extra-judicial statements, official correspondence from relevant authorities, and passport data relating to Shani Tali.
The case is yet to be assigned a trial date.
READ MORE…
AFCON CONTROVERSY: MOROCCO’S REGRAGUI BRANDS SENEGAL PENALTY DRAMA ‘EMBARRASSING’
The criminal charge stems from a long-running controversy over the ownership of the London property at 79 Randall Avenue.
The dispute, which also involved the late retired Lieutenant-General Jeremiah Useni, was heard by the UK First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) under case number REF/2023/0155, with Tali Shani listed as the applicant and Ozekhome as the respondent.
During the proceedings, Ozekhome claimed he received the property as a gift from “Mr Tali Shani” in 2021, while lawyers representing “Ms Tali Shani” insisted she was the rightful owner.
A witness identified as Mr Tali Shani testified in support of Ozekhome, claiming ownership of the property since 1993 and asserting that he transferred it to Ozekhome through a power of attorney. He also described the late Useni as his property manager and business partner.
However, witnesses for Ms Tali Shani tendered documents including an obituary, National Identification Number (NIN) card, ECOWAS passport and phone records to support their claim.
In its ruling, the London tribunal found all the documents tendered on behalf of Ms Tali Shani to be fake and dismissed the competing claims, holding that neither “Mr” nor “Ms” Tali Shani existed. The tribunal ruled that the property was effectively owned by Useni, operating under a false identity.
The Federal Government’s criminal case against Ozekhome now seeks to determine his alleged role in the use of forged documents connected to the disputed property.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0