Dana Air MD fraud and details of what happened in court on Wednesday has emerged.
Newsonline reports that Dana Air MD fraud case took a new twist on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, as the absence of Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, stalled the planned arraignment of Hathiramani Jacky Ranesh, the Managing Director (MD), Dana Air, on allegations bordering on fraud.
This online news platform recalls that before now, the court had on June 30, 2021, fixed the arraignment of the Dana Air MD and two other defendants for October 13, 2021.
Dana Air MD fraud case, which was number five on the cause list, however, could not proceed due to Justice Egwuatu’s official engagement at the judges’ seminar in Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial city.
Although Ade Adedeji (SAN), the counsel to the Dana Air MD, was sighted in court, Ranesh on the other hand, was not seen in court for the suit marked: CR/101/21, which the Dana Air MD is the first defendant.
Before October 13, Newsoneline reports that the Dana Air MD was absent in court at the last adjourned date, while other defendants were in court.
At the time, the counsel to the Dana Air MD had told the court that the absence of his client in court was to the knowledge of the prosecution.
However, when the matter was called, Adedeji, said he was in court to represent Ramesh after they were served with the notice of arraignment, noting that his client was not in the country.
His words: “The charge before this honourable court is a serious matter.
“We came in from Lagos just to come and explain to your lordship the circumstances that informed our acceptance of service without knowing that the date is coming so soon.
“We didn’t know before we accepted it. We have an option not to accept this but as officer in the temple of justice, we felt we are under obligation to accept on his (Ranesh’s) behalf.
“But to the knowledge of counsel to the prosecution, the principal defendant is not in the country which was made known to the prosecution.
“It is on the basis of these circumstances that we shall be appealing to your lordship for an adjournment my lord to enable the defendant appear before this honourable court,” he had said.
And after counsel to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Wilson Michelangelo, did not oppose the request for an adjournment, Egwuatu fixed Oct. 13 for arraignment of the suspects but on Wednesday, at the resumption of the matter, the court fixed February 15, 2022 for arraignment of the Dana Air MD.
