By Abdulwahab Abdulah

LAGOS—THE planned fresh arraignment, yesterday, on forgery offences of former Managing Director of Bank PHB, Mr. Francis Atuche, by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was stalled as he did not turn up in court.

The anti-graft agency has slammed a fresh nine-count charge of forgery against him after he was released from its custody last week.

The charge was filed by the commission before an Ikeja High Court and the case has been assigned to Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo’s court.

Mr. Atuche was charged alongside two officials of Central Shared Services Centre of Keystone Bank Ltd, Joachim Nnosiri and Uguru Onyike.

EFCC said the offence contravened Sections 361 and 409 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011. No fresh date has been fixed for the arraignment of the defendants.

EFCC counsel, Mr. Ben Ubi, on behalf of the commission’s chairman, alleged that the defendants attempted to smuggle forged board resolutions of some companies into Keystone Bank, the successor of Bank PHB.

In the charge, the EFCC claimed the alleged forged board resolutions were said to have emanated from Futureview Securities Ltd. Tradjeck Ltd and Extra Oil Ltd, allegedly signed by the Managing Director of the companies, Mrs. Elizabeth Ebi and addressed to Keystone Bank.

This, the EFCC said was meant to request a N10.9 billion credit facility from the bank. Mrs Ebi had earlier testified in Atuche’s N25.7 billion fraud trial before Justice Lateefat Okunnu, also of the Lagos High Court in Ikeja, that Atuche had granted a N10.9 billion loan facility to the companies without their knowledge or request.