Abuja, Dec. 16, 2024 – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday re-arraigned Francis Atuche, the former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB Plc.
The EFCC disclosed this in a statement on Monday via its X handle.
Atuche was rearraigned with two other persons, Nnosiri Joachim, and Uguru Onyike on charges of forgery and conspiracy.
They were rearraigned before Justice O. O. Abike-Fadipe on a nine-count charge of conspiracy to commit felony and forgery before the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
The defendants were initially arraigned over alleged forgery before Justice Habeeb Abiru and later Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo.
At the resumed proceedings, the registrar of the court read the charges to the defendants:
“That you, Mr. Francis Atuche, Nnosiri Joachim (a.k.a Ifeanyi), and Uguru Onyike, on or about the 4th day of March 2013, in Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, conspired to commit felony, to wit: forgery of a document titled ‘BOARD RESOLUTION’ of Future View Securities Limited, dated 17th December 2007.”
“Nnosiri Joachim (a.k.a Ifeanyi), on or about the 4th day of March 2013, in Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, knowingly and fraudulently used a false document titled ‘Board Resolution of Trajek Nigeria Limited,’ dated 15th December 2007, which you purported to have been duly signed by one Elizabeth Ebi (a Director of Trajek Nigeria Limited), to Keystone Bank Limited as genuine,” the charges partly read.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges which paved the way for fresh commencement of the trial.
Defence counsel, Anthony Ejere and Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN, successfully argued for their clients to remain on the bail previously granted by Justice Onigbanjo.
In a brief ruling, Justice Abike-Fadipe upheld the defendants’ continued bail and adjourned the trial to May 6, 7, 8, 13, 20, and 27, 2025.
The EFCC said: “Atuche’s fresh issues with the EFCC started when he recently contacted Nnosiri, an Office Assistant with Keystone Bank’s Central Sharing Services Centre in Lagos, to deliver some alleged forged documents to the Bank’s corporate headquarters in Lagos for onward presentation in court as exhibits in an on-going case between him and the Commission before Justice Lateefat Okunnu.
“The forged documents that had been missing since October 2009 are the Board’s resolutions of Future View Securities Limited, Extra Oil Limited and Trajek Nigeria Limited.” (GBN)
