By Vivian Okejeme Abuja
The office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, has taken over the prosecution of the criminal charges against Ghanaian investors and owners of JonahCapital Ltd over the River Park Estate dispute.
The Nigerian Police Force had on June 25 filed a 26-count criminal charge before an FCT High Court in Gwarinpa against directors of JonahCapital Ltd, namely Sam Jonah, Kojo Ansah, Victor Quainoo, a company, Mobus Property Nigeria Ltd, and their Nigerian lawyer, Abu Arome, alleging forgery of the ownership document of the company.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, a state counsel, Aderonke Imana, informed the court that the AGF had instructed her to take over the matter, relying on the powers granted in Section 174 of the Nigerian Constitution, 1999.
“I have the instructions of the honourable Attorney General of the Federation to take over the case from the Nigeria Police Force, so that we can have the opportunity to review the case file because there are a lot of letters and petitions to that effect,” she said.
The counsel noted that the Nigerian Police have so far failed to release the case file to the AGF.
In the absence of any objection, Justice Modupe-Osho Adebiyi granted the application and fixed the matter for further hearing on November 11.
Objecting to the charges, JonahCapital directors and their lawyer contended that the criminalisation of routine filings with the CAC and land disputes.
They recalled that they had notified land subscribers and the public in May that the police were trying to suppress the 10-man investigation panel that examined the same allegations of forgery made against them by one Paul Odili of Paulo Homes, an adverse claimant in the matter.
They further contended that the latest charges arose from a fresh report, hastily put together by the Head of the IGP Monitoring Unit, DCP Akin Fakorede, which indicted them without hearing from them.
It will be recalled that the Minister of the FCT Nyesom Wike, had on Channels TV’s Political Platform on Thursday, September 18, said the ministerial panel on the matter found that the FCT signed an agreement with JonahCapital Nigeria Ltd, promoted by Sir Samuel Esson Jonah as the original owners of the Plot 4 Cadastral, Zone E30 Lugbe, Abuja, during the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Wike said a dispute arose when JonahCapital brought in a third party (Paulo Homes) to help them obtain building approvals from FCT Development Control in exchange for some shares.
The minister also affirmed the Ghanaian investors’ ownership of River Park Estate.
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