Showing posts with label law. Show all posts
Showing posts with label law. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Attention: Justice Kutigi: Gross misconduct on the part of the Justice Mercel Awokulehin in the case of FRN vs James Ibori & anor



Mr. Chairman, we are a Coalition of over fifty Civil Society, Community-Based and other NGOs that are devoted to anti-corruption crusade to free Nigeria from the pangs of unbridled corruption. We have been involved in monitoring the progress recorded in the prosecution of anti corruption cases especially those involving politically exposed persons.
We have being monitoring the case from the Federal High Court, Kaduna , Kaduna the Federal High Court, Asaba, Delta State . It is common knowledge that the Attorney-General of the Federation has been using his position to frustrate the trial of Chief Ibori both in Nigeria and in the United Kingdom . In order to prevent Chief Ibori from being brought to book the Attorney-General of the Federation has caused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to take the following decisions:i. All the witnesses in the case have been removed from the EFCC and transferred to different locations all over the country. ii. Mr. Ibrahim Magu, a serving police officer, who coordinated the investigation of the case has been suspended from the Police for over a year.iii. Rotimi Jacobs Esq., the counsel who handled the matter at the Federal High Court, Kaduna and at the Court of Appeal has been removed from the case.iv. The appeal filed at Supreme Court by EFCC against the decision of the court of appeal on the movement of venue of trial of Ibori’s case from Kaduna to Asaba was discontinued without any reason. Perversion of Justice by the Judiciary Now the judiciary seems to have been co-opted into the whole intrigues to pervert justice in this case having regard to the role of the trial judge in the Federal High Court, Asaba. The misconduct of his Lordship is unprecedented in the history of the legal profession in Nigeria . We crave your indulgence by reporting to you the gross misconduct committed by the Judge handling the case of FRN V. James Ibori & Anor. at the Federal High Court, holden at Asaba, Delta State .. The details of the gross misconduct of the learned trial judge include the following

Monday, October 12, 2009

Federal Kangaroo Court, Asaba, Delta State



If Nigerians truly want to know what a kangaroo court looks like, they need look no further than the Asaba Federal Hight Court of Justice Mercel Awokulehin. Yesterday, for instance, Justice Awokulehin suddenly sent a summon to the lawyers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Sunday to appear before it to hear the substantive argument over a motion by James Ibori’s requesting the judge to quash his trial in the money-laundering case against him. Yesterday was a Sunday, a non-working day. Following the summons, and without public notice, the case was called this morning in Asaba.These developments are part of the inexorable conspiracy to let Ibori avoid justice in Nigeria. That would, in turn, help his criminal associates who face a similar trial in England enjoy

similar flight from justice from the law. Only last week, Justice Christopher Hardy of the Southwark Crown Court adjourned proceedings in the trial before him to enable the hearings in Asaba to be completed.When that case was called in Asaba today, lawyers representing Ibori and the EFCC engaged in a less than stellar adoption of “address” before the court regarding Ibori’s motion. Judge Awokulehin subsequently adjourned till November 6th 2009, three days before the re-commencement of the London trial of Ibori associates at the Southwark Crown Court.