Innoson Dismisses Bench Warrant Against Him as Abuse of Process

The Chairman of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM), Chief Innocent Chukwuma, has dismissed the bench warrant issued against him by the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday as “an abuse of process taken too far by the court and made without jurisdiction.”

He said the order itself is a nullity and does not have grounds on law.

In a statement issued on his behalf by the Head Corporate Communications and Affairs of Innoson Group, Mr Cornel Osigwe, the IVM boss said there was no prima facie case against me, insisting that the charge was based on suspected or trumped up action against Innoson Nigeria Limited.

He said the company was a party originally to the charge but was discharged by the Court of Appeal.

“Secondly, there was no notice of trial served on me pursuant to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. The act provides that before the court should issue a bench warrant, there must be proof of service of the charge and the notice of trial on the person involved. But there is no notice of trial served on me and the question of whether I, Innocent Chukwuma has been served with the charge is still pending at the Supreme Court. More importantly, the charge is also an abuse because of earlier similar suit in relation to the charge pending at different Federal High Courts.

“Thirdly, The said charge no: FHC/L/565/2015 which is a trumped up was filed by the police in 2015 and was equally withdrawn by the same police through its notice of withdrawal dated 17th February, 2016 duly filed at the Federal High Court Registry Lagos,” he said.

He further alleged that GTB got the then Director of Public Prosecution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (names withheld) to claim to have taken over the Charge/case using the name of the Attorney General of the Federation after the Police have withdrawn the case.

“Interestingly, that DPP involvement in this matter and his complicities therein led to his removal as the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The argument on whether the Office of the Attorney General is empowered to take over a case that the Police have originally withdrawn is still going on at the Supreme Court.

He said the latest order was being orchestrated by the bank in order to force him to negotiate with the bank from a weaker position.

It will be recalled that in a decision of 27th February 2019 in Appeal No: SC.694/2014 between Guaranty Trust Bank PLC v Innoson Nigerian Limited, the Supreme Court dismissed GTB’s appeal against the Court of Appeal’s judgment which ordered GTB to pay the judgment debt which with accrued interest is as at today over N9 billion.