BY BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE

The disagreement over the tripartite mortgage on a property at No. 46 Ogunlana Drive, Plot 452 Surulere, Lagos, owned by Poco Petroleum for which the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mohammed Abubakar, dragged First Bank Plc and two others before a Federal High Court in Abuja, has been adjourned by Justice A. Abdul-Kafarat to May 22 for hearing.

Also named in the four-count charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/158/2012, are officials of the bank, Olakunle Jegede and an external consultant to the bank, Mike Ejekie Edith.

First Bank Plc and others are accused of conspiracy and forgery as they were alleged to have forged a tripartite legal mortgage among First Bank, a customer, Poco Petroleum Limited (PPL)and Chief Patrick Onwochei Chukwueloe Ozeih, having allegedly replaced Chief Ozeih with Poco Enterprises Nigeria Limited (PENL) in the document.

Count two accused the defendants of altering the tripartite mortgage “by superimposing Poco Enterprises Nigeria Limited on Chief Patrick Onwochei Chukwueloe Ozeih to make it look as if the legal mortgage was made among PPL, PENL and First Bank to enable First Bank take possession of the property.”

It was alleged  in count three that the defendant “did alter a forged tripartite legal mortgage among PPL, PENL and First Bank by registering same at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Abuja, and obtained a CAC certificate of registration dated December 2, 2008.”

The alleged offences were said to have been committed between October 29 and December 2, 2008, and punishable under sections 467, 468 and 516 of the Criminal Code.