The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, has reversed his earlier decision to reassign the cases involving a former Head of the Service of the Federation, Steven Oronsaye and businessman, Raymond Dokpesi, to a new judge.
Indication that Justice Auta has reversed his earlier decision emerged on Tuesday
, when the new judge, to which the case was reassigned refused to take any step on the matter.
Justice Auta had earlier this year reassigned the cases from Justice Gabriel Kolawole (before who Oronsaye and Dokpesi had been arraigned) to Justice James Tsoho, who was recently redeployed from the court’s Lagos division.
Dokpesi and his company, Daar Investment and Holdings Limited were on February 17 re-arraigned before Justice Tsoho, who allowed them to remain on the bail earlier granted by Justice Kolawole.
The parties were in court on Tuesday, hoping that Oronsaye and others persons involved in the case will be re-arraigned before the new judge.
But when the case was called, Oronsaye and two other defendants – Osarenkhoe Afe and his company, Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited – were present in court.
Oronsaye and Afe went straight into the dock when they were called by the court clerk.
Prosecution lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), noted that other defendants in the case – Global Services Limited, Cluster Logistic Limited, Kangolo Dynamic Cleaning Limited and Crew Investment and Construction Company Limited – were not representedRead more