The Federal Government has filed a fresh 36-count amended charge against the embattled Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeyemi Adeniyi, and four others over alleged forgery, false representation and fraud.
Adeniyi appeared alongside his co-defendants before Justice Halilu Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Monday.
However, their arraignment on the fresh charges could not proceed due to the absence of the fourth defendant, Florence Omemah, who was reportedly ill.
Counsel to Mr Adeniyi, Ibrahim Angulu, however, urged the court to grant a shorter adjournment to allow him to pursue bail for his client. He also told the court that Mr Adeniyi had been in detention for more than 200 days.
In a brief ruling, Justice Yusuf adjourned the case until November 18 for the arraignment of all the defendants.
The judge further ordered that Mr Adeniyi be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, while the other defendants should remain in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The case centres on allegations that Adeniyi established a fictitious federal agency known as the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and falsely presented himself as its director-general.
Investigators alleged that the agency had no legal backing and that Mr Adeniyi forged appointment letters and signatures attributed to the Chief of Staff to the President to legitimise his purported position.
