EFCC re-arraigns ex-Bank PHB MD, Francis Atuche, on forgery charges
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned Francis Atuche, the former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB Plc, along with two others on charges of forgery and conspiracy.
The re-arraignment took place on Monday before Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos. Atuche is facing charges alongside Nnosiri Joachim, also known as Ifeanyi, and Uguru Onyike, in a nine-count indictment.
The charges involve allegations of forging board resolutions of companies to defraud financial institutions.
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One of the charges states that, on or about March 4, 2013, Atuche, Joachim, and Onyike conspired to forge a document titled “BOARD RESOLUTION” of Future View Securities Limited, dated December 17, 2007, with intent to defraud.
Another count accuses Joachim of using a forged “Board Resolution of Trajek Nigeria Limited,” dated December 15, 2007, to deceive Keystone Bank Limited.
The defendants, who were initially arraigned before Justice Habeeb Abiru and later Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Prosecutor Fanen Anum informed the court that the case was starting afresh and requested trial dates. The defense team, led by Anthony Ejere and Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN, successfully argued for the defendants to remain on the bail granted by Justice Onigbanjo.
In a brief ruling, Justice Abike-Fadipe upheld the defendants’ continued bail and adjourned the trial to May 6, 7, 8, 13, 20, and 27, 2025.
The case stems from Atuche’s recent involvement with Nnosiri, an Office Assistant at Keystone Bank’s Central Sharing Services Centre in Lagos, who allegedly delivered forged documents to the bank’s corporate headquarters.
These documents were intended for presentation in an ongoing case between Atuche and the EFCC before Justice Lateefat Okunnu. The forged documents, missing since October 2009, include board resolutions from Future View Securities Limited, Extra Oil Limited, and Trajek Nigeria Limited.
Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at NeptunePrime.
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