- The defendants pleaded not guilty
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned Francis Atuche, the former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB, along with two others, on charges of forgery and conspiracy.
The re-arraignment took place on Monday before Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, as announced in an EFCC statement on X (formerly Twitter).
Atuche, alongside Nnosiri Joachim (aka Ifeanyi) and Uguru Onyike, faces a nine-count charge alleging the forgery of company board resolutions to defraud financial institutions. One charge accuses the trio of conspiring to forge a board resolution of Future View Securities Limited dated December 17, 2007. Another alleges that Joachim used a forged resolution of Trajek Nigeria Limited to deceive Keystone Bank.
The defendants pleaded not guilty and will remain on bail granted in earlier proceedings. Justice Abike-Fadipe adjourned the trial to May 2025.
According to the EFCC, Atuche’s recent troubles began when he allegedly instructed Joachim, an Office Assistant at Keystone Bank, to deliver forged documents related to an ongoing case. The missing documents, including resolutions from Future View Securities Limited and other firms, have been under scrutiny since 2009.
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