Innoson On Arrest Warrant: ‘Judgement Done In Bad Faith’

Innocent Chukwuma, chairman of Innoson Motors Limited, says Mojisola Dada, the judge who issued his arrest warrant, “erred in law”.

A high court sitting in Lagos on Friday ordered the arrest of the Anambra state born industrialist, over his failure to appear before it and face trial.

The judge while giving the order said Chukwuma should be arrested and brought to court on March 1, the next adjourned date.

But in a statement, Cornel Osigwe, spokesman of Innoson Group, said counsel to the business man Joseph Mbadugha, was not granted fair hearing.

Osigwe said the order, which did not follow due process, was given in bad faith.

The spokesman explained that Mbadugha drew the attention of the court to a motion for stay of proceedings filed in another court, but the judge ignored the counsel and instead granted the prayer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“The issuance of bench warrant led to a wild jubilation by some staff of GTB and their lawyers who were fully seated in the court,” the statement by Osigwe read.

“It must be stated that based on the submission of Prof Mbadugha, counsel to Innoson, the judge erred in law by making an order to issue a bench warrant against Innoson.

“The court is bound by law to listen and decide the applications submitted rather than making an order to arraign Innoson in a charge that is an abuse of process.

“The EFCC charge which is being instigated by GTB is a gross abuse of process. First, an earlier charge which GTB induced the EFCC to file against Innoson was struck out.

“Innoson appealed against the order striking the charge out on the ground that it ought to be a dismissal and not striking out. The appeal, with Appeal No: CA/L/1328CM/2017 is, till date, still pending when EFCC filed or re-filed, in December 2017, the same charge that was struck out.

“Secondly, the charge is on the same subject matter and the same party as Charge No: FHC/L/565C/2015 that is pending at the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, in Appeal No: CA/E/249C/2016.
Both charges are smear campaign by GTB and EFCC to destroy Innoson.”