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The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the arraignment of Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, and several others, rescheduling the case for October 30. The adjournment comes as Justice Hauwa Yilwa, the presiding judge, was unavailable on Thursday due to her participation in a separate official event.
The matter was consequently adjourned to allow the defendants to enter their pleas at a later date.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) is pursuing legal action against MTN Nigeria and its top executives for allegedly violating provisions of the FCCPC Act. Named in the suit are Mr Toriola, Tobechukwu Okigbo (Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer), and Ikenna Ikeme (General Manager, Regulatory Affairs), who appear alongside the company as defendants in a two-count charge.
According to the court documents, the defendants are accused of failing to provide certain documents and information requested by the FCCPC through a lawful summons.
The charges, filed on July 22, 2024, under suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/354/2024, allege non-compliance with a request initially issued on May 17 and extended via a follow-up letter dated June 5.
At a prior court date, the FCCPC, through counsel Nsitem Chizenum, informed the judge that the defendants had not yet been served with court documents due to their alleged attempts to avoid service.
The court was also told that the Nigeria Police Force had been enlisted to help ensure the defendants’ appearance, and that this process was ongoing.
The arraignment was initially scheduled for May 28, but none of the accused appeared in court on that day. In the first count of the charge, the FCCPC asserts that on or around June 18, 2024, the accused parties willfully failed to comply with a valid summons requiring them to produce documents and information relevant to the investigation, a violation, the agency says, is punishable under Sections 33(3) and 111 of the FCCPC Act, 2018. Businessday
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