The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday struck out the eight-count forgery charge brought against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), an agency the proceedings describe as non-existent.

Justice Mohammed Umar terminated further proceedings after the Federal Government, represented by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, applied for the charge to be struck out.

The charge was originally filed by the police, before the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation took over the prosecution at the last adjourned date.

When the matter was called on Monday, the DPPF told the court that the AGF had found loopholes after a proper review of the case file, and that this informed the decision to withdraw the charge. He said the government had concluded plans to move the case to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory for a fresh arraignment of the defendant. He also noted that the documents Adeyemi was said to have forged while operating the alleged bogus agency could be prosecuted at the FCT High Court rather than the Federal High Court.

Defence counsel Ibrahim Angulu, SAN, did not oppose the application.

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Adeyemi has been in detention since July 14, when he was arrested on the strength of a bench warrant issued by the court. He was arraigned on charges relating to forgery, fraud and impersonation, pleaded not guilty, and was ordered to be remanded at Kuje Prison, with a date fixed for hearing.

The defendant had asked the court to consider his request for bail, insisting he was suffering from a contagious ailment that required urgent medical attention from his doctors. The prosecution opposed the application, maintaining that the government had adequate facilities to take care of his health needs. The scheduled hearing of the bail application was thwarted by the withdrawal of the charge.

Those earlier billed to testify in the matter include the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Paul Emmanuel; Jeremiah Imoukhede; and Ituah Sylvester.

Other witnesses are civil servants working in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, as well as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.