ICPC to arraign Ozekhome Monday over alleged UK property fraud

The Federal Government is set to arraign a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Monday, January 26, over alleged fraud linked to a property in London, United Kingdom.

According to a hearing notice sighted on Wednesday, the case will be heard in Courtroom 4, with the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the plaintiff and Ozekhome as the sole defendant. The prosecution will be led by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, Head of the High Profile Prosecution Department of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The notice states that the matter will be transferred to the court’s hearing paper for January 26 at 9:00 a.m., adding that any application for adjournment must be promptly filed and supported with evidence where necessary.

Ozekhome is facing a three-count charge filed by the ICPC on January 16. The first count alleges that in August 2021, he knowingly received a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London, from one Mr. Shani Tali, an act said to constitute a felony under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act.

The second count alleges that Ozekhome, while acting as a legal practitioner and SAN, created a false Nigerian passport in Shani Tali’s name to support a fraudulent ownership claim to the London property. The third count accuses him of knowingly using the forged passport to substantiate the claim.

The charges followed a petition by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, which cited a British court judgment alleging that Ozekhome and others conspired with corrupt Nigerian officials to obtain forged identity documents to fraudulently claim ownership of a North London property.

The ICPC said its investigation was triggered by a judgment of a London property tribunal that allegedly linked Ozekhome and others to fraud and document forgery.