The Federal Government has formally withdrawn the forgery charge filed against senior lawyer Mike Ozekhome, bringing an abrupt pause to a case that had drawn public attention.
The charge was originally instituted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).
It followed a judgment delivered by a London court over a property linked to the late former FCT minister, Jeremiah Useni.
In January, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation took over the matter from the ICPC for what it described as effective prosecution.
However, proceedings took a new turn on Tuesday at the FCT High Court.
The Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, informed Peter Kekemeke that the Federal Government was withdrawing the case file for “further instruction”.
He explained that the decision was taken in line with the provisions of Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Counsel to the defence, Paul Erokoro, SAN, told the court that his team had no objection to the withdrawal of the charge.
In a brief ruling, Justice Kekemeke held that since the application was not opposed, it was granted.
He consequently struck out the charge and ordered that the case be dismissed.
The withdrawal effectively halts legal action against Ozekhome over the alleged forgery linked to the disputed property transaction.
