By Abdulwahab Abdulah & Arji Donald
LAGOS—An Ikeja High Court, yesterday, rejected volumes of document containing part of the proceedings of a Federal High Court suit tendered by the former Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now acquired Access Bank Plc), Dr Erastus Akingbola, to prosecute his case.

The trial Judge, Justice Habeeb Abiru who dismissed the application to tender the documents, said the defence had not shown the relevance of the documents to the suit at hand in the court.

Akingbola through his counsel, Mr. Deji Sasegbon, SAN, had wanted the documents to be admitted as exhibits to cross examine one of the witnesses brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Akingbola and an associate, Bayo Dada are standing trial on alleged theft of N47.1 billion belonging to the bank in suit brought against them by EFCC.

But the Judge in a ruling, rejected the documents and refused to admit them as exhibit, said the defence could not use proceedings in a suit against his client in another court as evidence and for cross examination of witnesses in his court.

He also rejected and disallowed another attempt by the defence counsel, Sasegbon, to use a part of the documents to cross examine EFCC witness, Mr. Abdulraheem Jimoh and for same to be admitted as exhibit.

The Judge said while rejecting a part of the documents that “before such document could be tendered, there must have been contradictions in the statement and cross examination of the witness. The document is hereby rejected and cannot be tendered as evidence.”