23rd October, 2018
The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Apo, Abuja, on Tuesday ruled that the Federal Government’s alleged looters’ list released earlier in the year does not constitute a violation of the rights to presumption of innocence of those named.
Delivering judgment in a suit filed by the proprietor of the African Independent Television and Ray Power Radio, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, seeking the court’s declaration of the looters’ list as void, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, held that the suit lacked merit.
According to the court, the disclosure of the alleged looters’ list by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on behalf of the Federal Government earlier in March does not carry any force of law as the minister was neither the judge nor the prosecutor in the criminal case pending before the Federal High Court against Dokpesi.
The judge held that if aggrieved by the possible injury done to the plaintiff, he should rather seek a remedy through a libel/slander suit.
Punch reports that the court adjourned the libel suit initiated by Dokpesi against the minister till November 9.
The court earlier dismissed the minister’s objection to the libel suit due to non-appearance of the lawyers defending him in court on Tuesday and fixed November 9 for hearing of the substantive suit.