The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday re-arraigned Francis Atuche, the former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank), alongside Joachim Nnosiri and Uguru Onyike, over alleged forgery.
The defendants were brought before the Ikeja Special Offences Court on a nine-count charge of conspiracy, forgery, and use of false documents. They pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The EFCC alleged that on March 4, 2013, Atuche instructed Nnosiri, an office assistant with the bank, to deliver forged documents to the bank’s corporate headquarters in Lagos. The documents, which included board resolutions of Future View Securities Ltd, Extra Oil Ltd, and Trajek Nigeria Ltd, were intended for presentation as exhibits in court during Atuche’s ongoing trial before Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the Ikeja High Court.
The anti-graft agency said the documents had been missing since October 2009, and the alleged offences contravene Sections 363, 364, and 409 of the Lagos State Criminal Laws, 2011.
Prosecution counsel, Mr. Fanen Anum, informed the court that the case would begin de novo (afresh) and requested a trial date.
Defence counsel, Mr. Anthony Ejere and Mr. Clement Onwuenwunor (SAN), urged the court to allow their clients to continue enjoying the bail conditions previously granted. Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe granted the request and adjourned the case to May 6, 2025, for trial.
This re-arraignment follows a series of judicial reassignments, starting from Justice Habeeb Abiru, who was elevated to the Court of Appeal, to Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, who retired before the case landed with Justice Abike-Fadipe.
