Dud cheque: Senator Uzodinma denies arrest warrant issued against him

Wed, Sep 19, 2018 | By publisher


Politics

Senator representing Orlu Zone, Imo West Senatorial District of Imo State in the Nigerian Senate, Hope Uzodinma, on Wednesday denied an arrest warrant issued against him by a Grade 1 Area Court, Kubwa, Abuja on Tuesday.

Denying the news published by many news outlets, Uzodinma’s Senior Legislative Assistant, Ralph Nwosu, described the story as “fake news masterminded by his political enemies because of his rising gubernatorial chances in Imo State”.

But our correspondent sighted a copy of the arrest warrant with the stamp and signature of the judge, Abdulwahab Muhammad, ordering “All law enforcement agents” to execute the arrest warrant.

The judge had issued the arrest warrant following a criminal complaint filed before the court by Chima Akuzie, and his company, Chitek Ventures Ltd, accusing the senator of issuing N200m dud cheque to them.

Uzodinma and his companies – Smiec Engineering and Chemical construction company‎ and Niger Global Engineering and Technical Company Limited – are named as the defendants the direct complaint marked, CR/358/2018.

The complaint was issued against Uzodinma and his two companies by Chima Akuzie, and his company, Chitek Ventures Ltd, who claimed that the senator issued them a N200m dud cheque of United Bank of Africa.

The complainants alleged that Uzodinma subcontracted to them a shore-line protection contract in Koko, Delta State, which the senator was said to have got from the Niger Delta Development Commission.

They noted that the N200m bounced cheque was meant for the payment of the execution of the project.

But Uzodinma’s aide who queried the authenticity of the news also alleged that “some detractors” were using the complainants who defaulted in the execution of the sub-contract “to twist facts and abuse the judicial process just to dent the soaring political image of the senator”.

He wondered “how a disagreement between two corporate citizens which has been a subject of litigation for some time now and is still pending at the Supreme Court find its way to the Court, if not because some political enemies are behind it.” – Punch

– Sept. 19, 2018 @ 17:55 GMT |

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