Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, issued an arrest warrant against the Managing Director of Dana Air, Mr Hathiramani Ranesh, over alleged refusal to appear in court to stand trial.

The AGF had filed a six-count charge against Ranesh and two others. The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/101/2021 and filed by Moshood Adeyemi, joined Dana Group PLC and Dana Steel Ltd as second and third defendants, respectively.

Justice Egwuatu, in a ruling, held that the arrest of Ranesh was necessary following his refusal to appear in court after he was served with the charge and several proceedings taken in the matter. He said the first defendant was bound to appear before the court and if he failed, the court could issue warrant for his arrest.

“Accordingly, relying on the said provision, I hereby issued a warrant of arrest for the arrest of the first defendant. “The defendant shall appear before this court on 13th of January, 2025, before any objection can be taken,” he said.

The judge adjourned the matter till January 13, 2025 for hearing. The Federal Government, through its lawyer, Mojisola-Okeya Esho, had, on October 10, prayed the court to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of Dana Air.

Esho had argued that Ranesh had refused to appear for his arraignment in the alleged N1.3 billion fraud preferred against him by the Attorney-General of Federation (AGF).

But the defence lawyer, B. Ademola-Bello, disagreed with Esho. He argued that they had filed a preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter and that the prosecution had already been served.

Esho, on her part, objected to taking the preliminary objection on the ground that the defendants ought to be arraigned first before the court could entertain any other application.

The judge then adjourned the matter till November 4 (today) for arraignment and/or hearing of preliminary objection. When the case was called, yesterday, Justice Egwuatu asked Ademola-Bello about the whereabouts of Ranesh.

“Why are the defendants absent,” the judge asked. The defence lawyer said Ranesh was not in the country and that the other two defendants were statutory bodies of which Ranesh is their managing director.

“Are we playing here? Where is the respect for the court when the people you are defending are not in court?” the judge asked. Justice Egwuatu, in his ruling, ordered that Ranesh be arrested and brought to the court at the next adjourned date.