The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) has formally applied to take over the prosecution of a three-count criminal charge instituted against Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, before the Federal Capital Territory High Court.
The charges were originally filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which accused the senior lawyer of receiving property through corrupt means and using allegedly forged documents.
The development emerged when the case came up for hearing on Monday, as the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), announced his appearance on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
Oyedepo informed the court that the AGF was exercising its constitutional powers under Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution to take over the matter, explaining that this was being carried out in collaboration with the ICPC to ensure efficiency and maintain the highest standards of prosecution.
AGF Cites Public Interest in Takeover of Ozekhome Case
According to the DPPF, the decision to retrieve the case file from the ICPC was taken in the interest of justice and public confidence in the legal process.
“The decision to take over the prosecution is in the public interest, to ensure fairness, confidence and competence in the conduct of the trial,” Oyedepo told the court.
Following the announcement, Dr Osuebeni Akpomosingha Akpos entered appearance for the ICPC, while former Attorney General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi (SAN), appeared as defence counsel for Ozekhome.
Akpos did not raise any objection to the application by the AGF to assume control of the prosecution.
Consequently, the presiding judge, Justice Peter Kekemeke, adjourned the matter to February 24 for hearing.
ICPC Details Allegations Against Senior Advocate
According to the ICPC, Ozekhome allegedly received a property located at House 79, Randall Avenue, London, sometime in August 2021.
The anti-corruption agency claimed that the property was purchased by a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Jeremiah Useni, but was allegedly transferred to Ozekhome by one Shani Tali in circumstances said to constitute a felony under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
In the second count, the senior lawyer is accused of “making a false document,” specifically a Nigerian passport bearing number A07535463 in the name of Mr Shani Tali.
The ICPC alleged that the passport was created with the intent to support a claim of ownership of the London property.
In the third count, Ozekhome is accused of “dishonestly” using the allegedly forged Nigerian passport as a genuine document.
The commission claimed that the document was used to support the property ownership claim, despite the defendant having reason to believe that the passport was false.
The matter is expected to resume on February 24, when the court will hear arguments following the AGF’s formal takeover of the prosecution.
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