Forgery Trial: Ozekhome Strikes Deal With Prosecution As Judge Fixes Date For Ruling

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama, Abuja, has fixed Thursday for ruling on an application by senior lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, seeking permission to travel to the United Kingdom on medical grounds.

Naija News reports that Ozekhome, who is standing trial on forgery and impersonation charges, filed the application through his counsel, Ferdinand Orbih (SAN).

This came after Ozekhome secured the agreement of the prosecution team not to oppose the request to travel.

At Tuesday’s proceedings, the trial judge, Justice Chizoba Oji, also ordered the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to produce the international passports of Ozekhome and his co-defendant, Ponfa Useni.

Orbih told the court that Ozekhome needed to travel to the UK for medical treatment based on the recommendation of his doctor.

He said the trip was expected to last six weeks and assured the court that the passport would be returned three days after Ozekhome’s return.

The prosecution counsel, Aisha Tahir, did not oppose the application.

However, when the judge asked about the whereabouts of the defendants’ passports, Tahir said they were with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The judge directed that the passports be produced within an hour, but the prosecution later returned without them and asked for more time, citing difficulty in reaching the investigating officer.

Justice Oji subsequently adjourned the matter till Thursday for ruling on the application and ordered the prosecution to “unfailingly” produce the passports.

Ozekhome and Useni were arraigned by the office of the AGF on February 27 on 12 counts bordering on forgery and impersonation.

They were granted bail in the sum of 10 million naira each, with one surety each, while the court ordered that their passports be deposited.

The charges stem from a dispute over ownership of a property in the United Kingdom allegedly linked to the late Jeremiah Useni, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

Prosecutors alleged that Ozekhome, Ponfa Useni and the late Jeremiah Useni conspired to create and use a forged Nigerian passport in the name of “Tali Shani” to support a claim to the UK property.

The defendants denied the charges.

Two prosecution witnesses have so far testified in the trial.

A Nigerian Immigration Service officer told the court that the passport bearing the name Tali Shani was not issued by the NIS, despite having some features of a genuine passport.

A forensic examiner also testified that the passport was fake.

The matter will continue on Thursday when the court is expected to rule on Ozekhome’s travel request.