The Federal Government initiated fresh legal action on Monday against Adeniyi Adeyemi, who serves as the Director-General of the alleged fraudulent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Counsel to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, told Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja that a new case had been filed at the FCT High Court.
Oyedepo, who is the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, therefore, applied that the criminal charge be struck out.
After the defence lawyer, Ibrahim Angulu, SAN, did not oppose the request, Justice Umar struck out the case.
When the case was called, Oyedepo moved the application for the discontinuation of the case.
He told the judge that the AGF carried out a review of Adeyemi’s case file and the charge filed by the Inspector-General of Police and found some loopholes.
The lawyer submitted that the documents allegedly forged by Adeyemi during his operations of the fake agency were those that could be prosecuted by the High Court of the FCT and not the Federal High Court.
He said that a new charge had been filed at the High Court of the FCT and that Adeyemi would be expeditiously arraigned afresh.
He urged the judge to strike out the charge as required by law.
Following no objections from Angulu, Justice Umar terminated the charge accordingly.
Adeyemi had been standing trial alongside two other defendants, whose whereabouts were unknown, on charges bordering on conspiracy and forgery.
What You Should Know
The Federal Government has decided to drop its initial case against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the head of an alleged fake government council, because the previous court lacked the proper jurisdiction to handle the specific forgery charges. Instead, prosecutors have refiled the case at the FCT High Court so that legal proceedings can continue properly.
- Positive Impact: Ensures that criminal allegations are handled by the appropriate court system, reinforcing due process and the rule of law.
- Potential Concerns: Bureaucratic shifts and legal refilings may prolong the judicial process before a final verdict is reached.
