The planned arraignment of the Chairman of Innoson Motors Limited, Innocent Chukwuma, before a Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos was on Friday stalled, following the withdrawal of the judge hearing the case.
The Judge, Justice Mojisola Dada, has since returned the case file of the suit to the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Opeyemi Oke.
The judge withdrew from the case following the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC) in response to the petition written by the automobile boss against her.
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The petition which was dated February 12, 2018, was titled, “Request To Investigate The Circumstances Leading To Honourable Justice Mojisola Dada of Lagos State High Court Issuing a Bench Warrant Against Chief Innocent Chukwuma and Ordering for His Arrest.”
However, the NJC’s response disclosed that the Council in a meeting held on March 9, 2018, had absolved Justice Dada of any wrongdoing.
The letter signed by the Secretary to the NJC, Ahmed Saleh, stated that, “At the end of deliberation, Council did not find any act of misconduct on the part of the Honourable Judge.
However, if the case is still pending before Honourable Justice Mojisola Dada, same will be returned to the Chief Judge for re-assignment to another Judge.”
It would be recalled that Chukwuma and his company, Innoson Motors Nigeria Limited, were to be arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain property by false pretences, obtaining property by false pretences, stealing and forgery in a transaction with Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB).
The EFCC alleged that the defendants committed the offences between 2009 and July 2011 in Lagos.
According to the anti-graft commission, the defendants with intent to defraud; conspired to obtain by false pretenses containers of motorcycle, spare parts and raw materials, a property of GTB from Mitsui OSK Lines Limited, Apapa, Lagos.
The alleged forgery was in order that the forged documents be used or acted upon as genuine to the prejudice of any person within Lagos or elsewhere.
The offences contravened Sections 1(1)(b), 1(3), and 8(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2016 and Sections 309(9), 388, 465 and 467(1)(j) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State 2003.
Following the refusal of Chukwuma to take his plea in court for the fifth time on May 23, 2018, the judge declared him wanted after a request by the EFCC.
