14th January, 2016
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
A Benin High Court, presided over by Justice Esther Ikponmwmen Thursday issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the member representing Etsako Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Philip Shaibu, over his absence from court.
The federal lawmaker is facing a six-count charge instituted against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), over alleged forgery of tax document.
He was alleged to have committed the offence in 2006, while contesting for Etsako Constituency II seat in the Edo State House of Assembly.
The ICPC further alleged that in November 2006, Shaibu lied to officers of the Edo State Board of Internal Revenue, that he was an employee of Zaknote Nigeria Ventures Limited, from 2003 to 2006, to fraudulently obtain a tax clearance certificate from the Revenue Board.
In his oral application at the resumed hearing on Thursday, counsel to ICPC, G. O. Igbadumhe, urged the court to issue warrant of arrest on the accused for his failure to appear in court.
In granting the application, Justice Esther Ikponmwen, ordered that the accused be produced in court by the authorities of Nigeria Police in the next sitting day.
The case has been adjourned till Thursday next week.
P.M. NEWS reports that the case which had been on since 2013 was first assigned to Justice Esther Edigin of the Benin High Court, but had to be re-assigned to Esther Ikponmwen after the former Judge withdrew from the case for personal reasons.