The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday dismissed charges of non-declaration of assets instituted against former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
The lawmaker was dragged to court by the defunct Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property led by Okoi Obono-Obla.
The panel alleged that the senator ‘without reasonable excuse’ refused and neglected to declare his assets despite being served the panel’s ‘notice to declare’.
The office of the Attorney General of the Federation took over the case and other suits being handled by the panel upon a presidential directive dissolving the panel in 2019.
Justice Binta Nyako dismissed the case against Senator Ekweremadu, who was present in court, after the prosecuting counsel from the AGF office, Pius Akutah, said the former lawyer handling the case for the panel had disappeared with the case file.
The judge declined Mr Akutah’s request to order the former counsel to release the file to the AGF office.
Justice Nyako struck out the case after Ekweremadu’s lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, made the request.
