Lagos High Court Adjourns Ronchess’ Case Involving Pastor Adeboye’s Son Against EFCC, Kaduna Govt Amid Probe, Strikes Out Alleged Forgery Case
This followed a previous order of the Court which joined the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC) and the State Security Service (SSS) as Respondents in the case.
The Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday adjourned the case filed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kaduna State Government (KADSG) and others to October 11, 2024 for hearing.
This followed a previous order of the Court which joined the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC) and the State Security Service (SSS) as Respondents in the case.
On July 12, 2024, the Court granted the application of Ronchess Global Resources to restrain the EFCC, IGP and the Kaduna State House of Assembly from taking steps that may jeopardize the fundamental rights of directors of the company or in any other way overreach the subject matter of the case pending before the Court.
It is the case of the Applicants before the court that at all material times, Ronchess Global Resources was a contractor to the Kaduna State Government having executed a contract for the construction of several roads in the state.
According to the lawyer representing Ronchess Global Resources, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), this followed the successful completion of previous road projects in the state by the same company.
He said following reliable information that the Kaduna State Government was planning to terminate the contract, Ronchess Global filed a suit at the Kaduna State High Court to stop the said unilateral termination and to claim all its outstanding fees.
According to him, while the case was pending in court, the “Kaduna State Government through its House of Assembly purported to conduct a probe on the same subject matter, even while the case pending in court was yet to be determined one way or the other”.
“While awaiting the defence of the Kaduna State Government to the suit pending in court, the Applicants received an invitation from the EFCC in respect of the same subject matter of the suit pending in court, whereupon they filed the present suit,” he said.
At Thursday’s proceedings, the Applicants were represented by Adegboruwa (SAN) while Sule Shuaibu (SAN), the Attorney-General of Kaduna State, represented the state.
Mr Adegboruwa informed the court of the joinder of the ICPC and SSS as respondents in the suit through the order of the Court granted on August 29, 2024.
He told the court that the Applicants received another invitation from ICPC notwithstanding the subsisting court order, which necessitated the need to join ICPC in the suit since it was on the same subject matter.
Consequent upon this, the Applicants have filed their Amended Originating Motion to reflect the joinder of the new parties.
Mr Onwuewuno, who represented EFCC informed the court that although they have received the Amended Originating Motion, he did not know that the order to join ICPC and SSS had already been made. He then promised to file his amended processes to reflect the parties that have been joined.
Mr. Adegbourwa thereafter told the court that he had filed a notice of discontinuance in respect of a case described as Oriete Chiris, and pleaded with the court to strike out the case.
Upon verifying the said Notice of Discontinuance in the court file, Justice A.O. Owoeye struck out the case.
One Christopher Oruete had alleged forgery on the part of the lawyer and the company.
Oruete, the Secretary of Ronchess Global Resources Plc, had formally lodged a comprehensive petition with Olanipekun Olukoyede, the Chairman of the EFCC, levelling grave allegations of wrongdoing against the company and its retained legal counsel.
In his petition, Oruete sought the EFCC’s urgent intervention to investigate and address the alleged transgressions.
Oruete accused Adegboruwa of impersonating him, stealing his identity, and forging his signature to obtain a court order without his knowledge or consent on behalf of Ronchess Global Resources Plc.
Oruete said his signature was forged to obtain the order.
The petition requested the EFCC to investigate and take appropriate action against Adegboruwa for these alleged criminal activities.
However, Mr. Adegboruwa insisted that his office received proper instructions from Ronchess Global to file the suit on behalf of all its directors and officers.
Adegboruwa, in a rejoinder, had said, “In law and in fact, no case was filed on behalf of Christopher Ogba Oruete. Many court cases abound on the dichotomy of names, amongst which are the Supreme Court decisions in Esonowo v Esonowo and PDP v. Degi, amongst others. In law, there is a world of difference between Chris Oriete and Christopher Ogba Oruete.”
He noted that “there is a difference in law between Chris Oriete and Christopher Egba Oruete”.
By consent of counsel, the case was adjourned to October 11, 2024 for hearing of all pending applications.
