Non-asset declaration: Court strikes out suit against Ekweremadu – The Liberator

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By Ndu Samuel

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has strucked out charges bordering on non-declaration of assets instituted against Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, former Deputy Senate President, by the defunct Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP).

Justice Binta Nyako on Monday dismissed the case for what she described as want of diligent prosecution.

The Liberator Newspaper gathered that the dissolved SPIP panel led by Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla had, in 2018, instituted the case marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/62/2018 against Ekweremadu, alleging that the serving senator refused and neglected to declare his assets upon being served the panel’s “notice to declare.”

The office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) took over the case and other suits being handled by the panel upon a presidential directive dissolving it in 2019.

At the resumed hearing for the case on Monday, counsel to the federal government Mr. Pius Akuta told the judge that the former counsel handling the case disappeared with the case file.

Counsel to the ex deputy Senate president Chief Adegboyega Awolomo SAN urged the court to strike out the case.

In the alternative, My Lord can adjourn the case sine die (indefinitely),” Awomolo said.

In her ruling, Justice Nyako dismissed the prosecution’s request and struck out the matter.

“You are Attorney General (referring to the lawyer as representing the AGF). You should know what to do.

“You should not be waiting for me to make an order against an individual

So, as it is today, you don’t know the case against the defendant since you don’t have the file. I am going to strike out the case. When you are ready, you can come back.

“The case is hereby struck out for want of diligent prosecution. The prosecution is allowed to come back whenever they are ready to proceed with the case,” she ruled

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