A Lagos Division of the Federal High Court has dismissed the charges against a former governor of Enugu State, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, for lack of “proper charges” before the court.
Justice Chuka Obiozor said the affidavit filed by Nnamani showed that the court had entered judgement in the same suit on July 5, 2015, by another judge, Mohammed Yunusa.
Counsel to Nnamani, Mr. Rickey Tarfa (SAN), had informed the court that the defendant filed a motion disclosing the facts that this case has been put to rest by Justice Yunusa in his judgement in suit no FHc/L/09c/07.
According to Tarfa, parties in the suit had entered a plea bargain before Justice Yunusa and there is no valid pending charges before Justice Obiozor as the court cannot sit on appeal for the case of another judge of concurrent jurisdiction had dispensed with.
The EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Kelvin Uzozie, said he had looked at the affidavits filed by the defendant in the case and was applying that the entire proceedings be expunged to enable him file fresh charges against the former governor.
In a short ruling, the judge said: “I agree that in view of the plea bargain judgement of this court delivered on the 7th of July, 2015, that there is no valid charge before me and I thereby expunge the entire proceedings before me.”
