By Paul Joseph
The Federal Government has launched new criminal proceedings against prominent lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mike Ozekhome, concerning allegations of using a forged Nigerian passport in an ongoing property dispute in the United Kingdom.
The new 12-count indictment was submitted on Tuesday at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja. Ponfa Useni, the son of the late former Minister of the FCT, General Jeremiah Useni, is also named in the case.
This latest move signifies a renewed effort by federal authorities following the withdrawal of a previous case against Ozekhome.
Earlier, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had charged the senior lawyer with three counts related to fraud and forgery regarding a disputed property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX.
However, the FCT High Court dismissed the case after the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, took over the prosecution and subsequently dropped the charges.
In the earlier allegations, the ICPC claimed that Ozekhome submitted forged documents, including a Nigerian passport, to support his ownership claim of the London property.
Investigators asserted that the property was supposedly gifted to him in August 2021 by someone identified as “Mr. Tali Shani.” Authorities raised concerns about the legitimacy of the documents used to substantiate the transfer, alleging violations of the Corrupt Practices Act and the Penal Code.
After the AGF’s involvement in January, government lawyer Rotimi Oyedepo assured the court that the case would be managed carefully and in full compliance with due process.
However, during a subsequent hearing, Oyedepo requested to withdraw the charges, stating that the AGF’s office aimed to review and consolidate matters involving various investigative agencies to strengthen the case. Justice Peter Kekemeke then dismissed the suit.
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