- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal Government has opened a fresh charge against prominent legal practitioner, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
This is coming hours after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) withdrew their charges against the lawyer.
According to report, the ICPC had on January 16, the ICPC filed a three-count charge bordering on forgery allegations against Ozekhome.
The lawyer was accused of using a fake Nigerian passport in a disputed property case in the United Kingdom (UK).
The office of the AGF would that over the case on January 26.
However, Ozekhome was re-arrested as detained shortly after the charges were dropped with the Federal Government disclosing plan to file a new charge against him.
As contained in the charge sheet, the federal government said between May 2020 and 2021, Ozekhome, Ponfa, and the late Useni made a false Nigerian International Passport No. A07535463 with the name Tali Shani, and purported same to have been issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service with the intent of using the same to support their claim of a property, lying, being and situate at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, United Kingdom.
“That you, Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome, SAN, Male, Adult of 55 Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, Ponfa Useni (aka Tali Shani), Male, Adult of 12 Dagash M. Street, Kado Estate, Phase 1, Abuja, and General Jeremiah Useni (now deceased), sometime in 2022 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired amongst yourselves to use as genuine a false Nigerian International Passport No. A07535463 with the name Tali Shani to facilitate your claim to a property located at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, United Kingdom, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 96 of the Penal Code Law 2009 and punishable under section 364 of the same Law,” part of the charge sheet reads.
The federal government said the offence contravened the Penal Code Law 2009.