The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF), Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has been given the go-ahead by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to review the case file against Professor Mike Ozekhome, SAN, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Related Commission, ICPC.
The case has been adjourned to February 24.
The AGF, who took over prosecution of the case on Monday, said he needed time to thoroughly review the case file and take a well-informed decision.
At Monday’s proceedings, the Head of the High-Profile Prosecution Department of the ICPC, Dr Osuebeni Akpomesingha Akpos, announced the appearance of the prosecution.
A former AGF and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi, SAN, and 15 other senior advocates announced their appearance for the defendant.
At this point, the director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, DPPF, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, announced his appearance on behalf of the AGF and informed Justice Peter Kekemeke of the decision of the AGF to take over the case from the ICPC.
He said that the decision was pursuant to Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution and that the ICPC would be collaborating to ensure that the prosecution meets the highest standards of effectiveness, efficiency, diligence, and compliance with the due process of law.
The DPPF further told the court that the decision was also guided by public interest and to instill confidence, fairness, and competence in the criminal justice system.
Oyedepo assured the court that the defendant’s rights would be protected and that no party would suffer any adverse consequences, adding that inter-agency cooperation to fight corruption was also considered by the OAGF.
He therefore asked the court to take judicial notice of the AGF Office’s takeover of the trial.
The AGF, therefore, sought an adjournment to enable his office to retrieve the case file from the ICPC, thoroughly review it, and take the next line of action.
The ICPC lawyer, in response, did not object to the takeover and promised that the commission would fully cooperate with the AGF Office, the agency that investigated the matter.
By consensus of lawyers, Justice Peter Kekemeke fixed February 24 for arraignment.
