High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has accepted to commence hearing on a N5.2 billion suit brought against a Chinese, Li Xing, accused of making false claims against his former employer.

Justice F. A Aliyu, sitting in Court 53 of the High Court of the FCT in Apo scheduled hearing for January 29 next year in the suit marked: CV/4554/2024 and filed for the claimant by his lawyer, Eloka Okoye, of the firm of Kehinde and Partners LP.

Xing, an ex-employee of Pure Biotech Company Ltd, is accused of making false claims of tax evasion, money laundering and forgery against a fellow Chinese, Mr Liu Yangxi, the Managing Director of Pure Biotech, who recently fired him for alleged misconduct.

Yangxi, in the statement of claim, noted that Xing, without any justification, maliciously carried out a campaign of calumny against him by sending an email to the FIRS, accusing him of tax evasion, money laundering, among others.

He added that the defendant also published malicious falsehood against him, with the intention to tarnish his image and reputation in the minds of the companies he had relationship with.

Yangxi added that the defendant’s letters to agencies, such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Weihai International Economic and Technical Corporation Co. Ltd in China, were malicious falsehoods targeted at injuring his reputation and “as a vendetta for terminating his employment with Pure Biotech Company Ltd.

The claimant is praying the court to, among others, order Xing to pay him N5 billion as general damages and N20 million for aggravated/exemplary damages for malicious falsehood.

Justice Aliyu has fixed January 29, 2025 for hearing.