A significant authorized confrontation is brewing as prime officers of the Asset Administration Company of Nigeria (AMCON) and two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) face contempt proceedings for allegedly disobeying subsisting court orders.
This comes as Normal Hydrocarbons Restricted (GHL), alongside its administrators and shareholders, has filed contempt charges in opposition to AMCON, accusing the company of intentionally suppressing materials information and interesting in gross abuse of court course of.
In line with filings earlier than the Federal Excessive Court, Lagos, AMCON and its lawyers allegedly failed to tell Justice Akintayo Aluko about an earlier order issued by Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa. The prior order had restrained AMCON from appointing or persevering with with any receivership over GHL.
Regardless of being conscious of the injunction, AMCON reportedly secured an ex parte order from Justice Aluko—an motion GHL described as an try and mislead the court.
GHL additional contends that AMCON misrepresented the standing of an Eligible Financial institution Asset (EBA) from First Financial institution of Nigeria (FBN), insisting that solely half fee had been made and that FBN had already supplied to refund the unfinished transaction. As an alternative of pursuing the refund, AMCON allegedly focused GHL in defiance of present court information and correspondence.
Following these allegations, the Federal Excessive Court issued Type 48 (Discover of Consequence of Disobedience to Court Orders) to a number of key AMCON officers, together with Dr Bala Bello (Chairman); Mr Gbenga Alade (Managing Director); Mr Adeshola Lamidi; Mr Fortunate Adaghe and Dr Aminu Mukhtar Dan’amu (Government Director).
Additionally served have been the AMCON-appointed receiver, Mr Oluseyi Akinwunmi, and AMCON’s counsel, Bidemi Ademola-Bello, SAN, and Ade Adedeji, SAN.
The 2 senior advocates now face extra petitions earlier than related authorized and judicial our bodies, looking for their debarment and derobing for alleged misconduct and for “bringing the judiciary into disrepute”.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa has ordered that each one contempt processes be served by way of substituted means, together with e mail, WhatsApp, official addresses, and publication in nationwide newspapers.
