Non-Assets Declaration: Court Strikes Out Charges Against Ekweremadu

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Monday, February 24th, 2020

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has struck out charges of non-declaration of assets instituted against a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

The charges were pressed against the Senator by the defunct Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery (SPIP) of Public Property, once headed by Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla.

In her ruling Monday, Justice Binta Nyako struck out the suit after the prosecuting counsel from the Attorney General of Federation (AGF’s) office, Mr Pius Akutah, announced that the former lawyer handling the case for the panel had disappeared with the case file.

Mr. Akutah therefore pleaded with the judge to order the former counsel to release the file to the AGF office.

The prayer was declined by Justice Nyako.

Consequently, Counsel to Ekweremadu, who appeared in the court, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), prayed the court to dismiss the case.

Recalled that the dissolved panel in 2018 instituted the case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/62/2018 against Ekweremadu, alleging that, “without reasonable excuse”, the serving Senator refused and neglected to declare his assets upon being served the panel’s “notice to declare”.

The AGF office has since taken over the case and other suits being handled by the SPIP upon a presidential directive dissolving it in 2019.