Atuche’s trial: Court orders EFCC to produce documents within seven days

Justice Lateefat Okunnu of a Lagos High Court, Ikeja yesterday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to, within seven days, produce some documents relating to the ongoing trial of former Managing Director of Bank PHB, Mr. Francis Atuche.

The documents the court ordered the commission to produce include board resolutions of four companies, viz Integrated Services Limited, Futureview Financial Services Limited, Tradjeck Limited and Extra Oil Limited.

The judge had on October 2, 2013 issued a subpoena on the EFCC and ordered the commission to produce the documents on or before the next sitting of the court on November 1, 2013.

Atuche and his wife, Elizabeth, were charged to court by the EFCC, alongside a former Chief Financial Officer of the bank, Ugo Anyanwu.

They are standing trial for allegedly stealing N25.7 billion belonging to Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank).

At the resumed trial of the matter on Friday, Atuche’s counsel, Chief Anthony Idigbe (SAN), asked the court to order the EFCC to produce the original documents.

Chief Idigbe said the documents are very relevant to the charge as they relate to a N10.9 billion credit facility Atuche had allegedly granted to the companies, without their knowledge.

He alleged that the original copies of the said documents were in the custody of the EFCC.

An EFCC official, Mr Boniface Uzoechi, who reacted on behalf of the prosecution, admitted that the documents are in the custody of the commission.

Uzoechi however told the court that the said documents were at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja and that he only got to know that the court was sitting yesterday.

Uzoechi said: ”I got to know about today’s adjournment last night on my way from Osun State.

“I was unable to get through to the Abuja office to produce the documents.”

The court admitted as exhibits Bank PHB Annual Reports for the years 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Also admitted as exhibits were minutes of Bank PHB Board of Directors meetings between May 2007 and September 2009.

Justice Okunnu adjourned the matter till November 1, 2013 to enable the EFCC produce the documents ordered by the court.

The post Atuche’s trial: Court orders EFCC to produce documents within seven days appeared first on The Nation.