The federal government’s case against the man accused of running a “phantom” presidential agency has collapsed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, after prosecutors admitted that their own charge sheet had flaws.
Justice Mohammed Umar on Monday struck out the eight-count criminal charge against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the alleged fake Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC). The judge acted at the request of the federal government.
Prosecution blames “loopholes”
Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, moved the application. He told the court that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice had reviewed Adeyemi’s case file and the charge filed by the Inspector General of Police, and had found “some loopholes”.
Oyedepo said the documents Adeyemi allegedly forged while running the purported agency can only be prosecuted at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, not the Federal High Court.
The ruling is not an acquittal. The trial ended on the basis that Adeyemi will be moved to the FCT High Court for a fresh arraignment. The court did not say when that will happen.
The reversal raises questions the government has yet to answer. The charge was filed by the police and went to court before the Justice Ministry’s own review caught the problem. It is also unclear whether the new charges will mirror the original eight counts.
Adeyemi had not commented on the development at the time of filing.
