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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday re-arraigned Francis Atuche, the former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB Plc (now Keystone Bank Limited), over allegations of forgery.
Atuche was re-arraigned alongside Nnosiri Joachim (also known as Ifeanyi) and Uguru Onyike before Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos.
The defendants face nine charges, including conspiracy to commit felony and forgery.
The case, which has been transferred multiple times, was initially heard by Justice Habeeb Abiru, now a Justice of the Supreme Court. It was later reassigned to Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo before being transferred to Justice Abike-Fadipe following Onigbanjo’s redeployment to another Lagos High Court division.
During Monday’s proceedings, all three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The EFCC accused the defendants of forging a document titled “Board Resolution” of Future View Securities Limited, dated December 17, 2007, with the intent to defraud. Additionally, the commission alleged that Joachim knowingly used a fraudulent “Board Resolution” of Trajek Nigeria Limited, which was purportedly signed by a company director, Elizabeth Ebi, and presented it as authentic to Keystone Bank Limited.
EFCC’s counsel, Fanen Anum, informed the court that the trial would begin afresh and requested new trial dates.
Counsel for Atuche, Anthony Ejere, appealed to the court to allow his client to continue enjoying the bail terms previously granted, despite Atuche’s conviction in another case. Similarly, Clement Onwuenwunor (SAN), representing Joachim and Onyike, requested that their current bail conditions be upheld.
Justice Abike-Fadipe granted the requests and allowed the defendants to maintain their existing bail terms. She then adjourned the trial to May 6, 7, 8, 13, 20, and 27, 2025.
The allegations center on claims that Atuche enlisted Joachim, an office assistant at Keystone Bank’s Central Sharing Services Centre, to deliver forged documents to the bank’s headquarters. The documents, including board resolutions from Future View Securities Limited, Extra Oil Limited, and Trajek Nigeria Limited, were allegedly intended as evidence in a separate case involving Atuche and the EFCC before Justice Lateefa Okunnu.
It was further revealed that these documents had reportedly gone missing from the bank since October 2009.
