The Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out an eight-count forgery charge against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Justice Mohammed Umar terminated further proceedings on Monday following an application by the Federal Government, represented by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.
Although the police initially filed the charges, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation took over the prosecution at the previous adjourned sitting.
When the case was called, Oyedepo informed the court that a review of the case file had revealed some gaps, prompting the Attorney-General to withdraw the charge.
He said the government planned to transfer the case to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory for a fresh arraignment, adding that the alleged forged documents could be prosecuted at the FCT High Court rather than the Federal High Court.
The application to strike out the charge was not opposed by Adeyemi’s counsel, Mr Ibrahim Angulu, SAN.
Adeyemi, who has been in detention since July 14 following his arrest on a bench warrant issued by the court, had been arraigned on allegations bordering on forgery, fraud and impersonation.
After he pleaded not guilty, the court ordered his remand at Kuje Correctional Centre and fixed a date for hearing.
The defendant subsequently applied for bail, citing a contagious illness that required urgent medical attention from his doctors. However, the prosecution opposed the application, insisting that adequate medical facilities were available to attend to his needs.
The scheduled hearing of the bail application could not proceed following the withdrawal of the charge.
Those earlier listed as potential prosecution witnesses included the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila; Paul Emmanuel; Jeremiah Imoukhede; and Ituah Sylvester.
Other prospective witnesses included civil servants in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, as well as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
