Lagos, Nigeria – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-indicted Francis Atuche, former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB Plc, on charges of forgery and conspiracy.
The anti-graft agency disclosed this in a statement via its official X handle on Monday, confirming that the arraignment took place before Justice O. O. Abike-Fadipe at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos.
Atuche was arraigned alongside two others, Nnosiri Joachim (alias Ifeanyi) and Uguru Onyike. The trio faces nine charges relating to the forgery of board resolutions from various companies to defraud financial institutions.
One of the charges alleges that the defendants conspired to forge a board resolution of Future View Securities Limited, dated December 17, 2007, intending to defraud. Another accuses Joachim of fraudulently using a forged document titled “Board Resolution of Trajek Nigeria Limited” to deceive Keystone Bank Limited.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Prosecution Counsel Fanen Anum informed the court that the case would start afresh and requested trial dates. However, the defence team, led by Anthony Ejere and Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN, successfully appealed for the continuation of bail terms previously granted by Justice Onigbanjo.
Justice Abike-Fadipe approved the continuation of bail and scheduled trial dates for May 6, 7, 8, 13, 20, and 27, 2025.
The EFCC statement further revealed that Atuche’s legal troubles worsened after he allegedly directed Joachim, a Keystone Bank Office Assistant, to deliver forged documents to the bank’s headquarters for use as evidence in another ongoing case.
The forged documents include board resolutions from Future View Securities Limited, Extra Oil Limited, and Trajek Nigeria Limited, missing since October 2009, the agency noted.