Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, yesterday withdrew the charge filed by the Federal Government against Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN.

He was dragged to court before Justice Peter Kekemeke of the FCT High Court, Maitama, Abuja, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on a three-count charge bordering on property forgery.

In an earlier sitting, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, informed the court that the AGF was taking over the case from the ICPC and requested an adjournment to enable the AGF to study the case file.

At the resumed sitting, Oyedepo informed the court that he was instructed by the AGF to withdraw the instant charge against the defendant pursuant to Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

According to the DPPF, the withdrawal was to enable the AGF to strengthen his review of all the cases before all the agencies.

Paul Erokoro, SAN, counsel for Ozekhome, who led over 15 SANs and a retinue of lawyers, had no objection to the application to withdraw the charge.

Based on this development, the court subsequently struck out the instant charge.

In the suit marked: FCT/HC/CR/010/26 dated and filed January 16, Ozekhome was the sole defendant.

In the three count charges obtained from ICPC, count one alleges that Ozekhome, sometime in August 2021 or thereabout in London, within the jurisdiction of the court, directly received House 79, Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, purportedly given to him by one Mr Shani Tali, the act he knew constituted a felony and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 13 and punishable under Section 24 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences, Act, 2000.

In count two, Ozekhome was alleged to have, sometime in August 2021 or thereabout, while being a legal practitioner and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, made a false document with a Nigerian passport: A07535463, bearing the name of Mr Shani.

ICPC alleged that the senior lawyer did this with a plan to use the same to support a claim of ownership of property known and described as “79, Randall Avenue, London NW2 78X with the intent to commit fraud.”

The offence, according to the commission, is contrary to Section 363 and punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code, CAP 532 Laws of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, 2006.