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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Garki, Abuja, has set aside a 2024 report by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accusing lawyer Ted Iseghohi-Edwards of fraud in connection with the London and Paris Clubs refunds involving Nigeria’s 774 local governments.
The court also restrained the EFCC, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the police and their agents from further arresting, harassing, detaining or prosecuting the lawyer over matters already determined by courts of competent jurisdiction.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday in suit CV/2569/26, Justice Suleiman Belgore upheld Iseghohi-Edwards’ fundamental rights enforcement application, ruling that his arrest, detention and continued threats of prosecution violated his constitutional rights.
The respondents in the suit were the EFCC, Attorney-General of the Federation, Inspector-General of Police and Federal Republic of Nigeria. The judge specifically nullified the EFCC’s report dated August 14, 2024, referenced EFCC/EC/AGF/07/VOL.1/70 and titled “Re: Request for Investigation Report on London-Paris Club Matters.”
Belgore described the report as a “contraption” fabricated to damage the applicant’s reputation, holding that its conclusions contradicted earlier investigations by the EFCC and Department of State Services (DSS) in 2016, which had cleared him of wrongdoing.
The court held that the respondents could not disregard the earlier findings and issue a contrary report years later without a lawful basis, particularly when the underlying contractual dispute had already been adjudicated.
Iseghohi-Edwards had been retained by the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) to represent the country’s 774 local governments in matters concerning the London and Paris Clubs refunds.
The court found that a valid contractual relationship existed between ALGON and the lawyer, supported by judgments tendered during the proceedings.
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“There were negotiated terms of engagement between the Incorporated Trustees of ALGON and the applicant,” Belgore said, adding that the terms were renegotiated in open court on September 15, 2016.
The judge further upheld the validity of 10 promissory notes issued to the applicant under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, pursuant to an order of mandamus made by a Federal High Court.
He faulted the EFCC and the Attorney-General of the Federation for subjecting subsisting court judgments to investigation rather than challenging them through the appellate process.
Granting 20 of the 21 reliefs sought, Belgore declared that the respondents had no authority to criminalise purely civil matters already determined by competent courts.
He consequently issued a perpetual injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from impugning the integrity of the judgments or further interfering with the applicant over the refunds dispute.
The order specifically prohibited further petitions, invitations, arrests, harassment, detention, criminal charges or prosecution arising from the same matters.
EFCC counsel, L. P. Apo, commended the judge for his handling of the case and explained that the disputed 2024 report followed proceedings instituted by Iseghohi-Edwards in the United States concerning the dematerialisation of the promissory notes.
Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the applicant, Idumodin Ogumu, welcomed the decision and urged government institutions to respect and comply with court orders.
