By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA — The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday struck out the eight-count forgery charge brought against the self-styled Director-General (DG) of the alleged “non-existent” Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.
Justice Mohammed Umar terminated further proceedings in the case following an application by the Federal Government, which was represented by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.
It will be recalled that although the charge was originally brought before the court by the police, the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) took over the prosecution at the last adjourned date.
When the matter was called on Monday, the DPPF notified the court that the AGF, after a proper review of the case file, had found some loopholes that informed his decision to withdraw the charge.
He told the court that the government had concluded plans to move the case to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for a fresh arraignment of the defendant.
He also noted that the documents the defendant was said to have forged during his operation of the alleged bogus agency could be prosecuted at the FCT High Court and not the Federal High Court.
The DPPF’s application for the charge to be struck out was not opposed by the defendant’s counsel, Mr. Ibrahim Angulu, SAN.
Adeyemi, who has been in detention since July 14, when he was arrested on the strength of a bench warrant issued by the court, was arraigned on charges relating to forgery, fraud and impersonation.
Following his plea of not guilty, the court ordered his remand at Kuje Prison and fixed a date for hearing.
The defendant had begged the court to consider his request for bail, insisting he was suffering from a contagious ailment that required urgent medical attention from his doctors.
His application was opposed by the prosecution, which maintained that the government had adequate facilities to take care of his health needs.
The scheduled hearing of the bail application was thwarted by the withdrawal of the charge.
Meanwhile, those earlier billed to testify in the matter include the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila; Paul Emmanuel; Jeremiah Imoukhede; and Ituah Sylvester.
Other witnesses are civil servants working in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, as well as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
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