EFCC re-arraigns Atuche, ex-Bank PHB boss, over ‘forgery’ 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned Francis Atuche, a former managing director of Bank PHB Plc.

Atuche alongside two others – Nnosiri Joachim and Uguru Onyike — appeared before O. O. Abike-Fadipe, judge of a special offences court in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday.

They pleaded not guilty to a nine-count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit felony and forgery.

After the plea, prosecution counsel, Fanen Anum, prayed the court for a trial date.

Anthony Ejere,  counsel to Atuche, prayed the court to allow his client maintain the earlier bail granted him by the court.

Similarly, Clement Onwuenwunor, counsel to the second and third defendants, prayed the court to allow his clients continue to enjoy the earlier bail granted them by the court.

In a short ruling, Abike-Fadipe upheld the prayers of the defence counsel that the defendants be allowed to continue on the bail previously granted.

The Judge adjourned the case till May 6, 7, 8, 13, 20 and 27, 2025 for commencement of trial.

The defendants were first arraigned before Habeeb Abiru, who has now been elevated to the court of appeal.

The case was then reassigned to Adeniyi Onigbanjo, who was later transferred to another division of the Lagos high court.

Consequently, the case was handed to Abike-Fadipe for a fresh start.

“Atuche’s  fresh issues with the EFCC started when he recently contacted Nnosiri, an office assistant with Keystone Bank’s Central Sharing Services Centre in Lagos, to deliver some alleged forged documents to the Bank’s corporate headquarters in Lagos for onward presentation in court as exhibits in an on-going case between him and the commission before Justice Lateefat Okunnu,” a statement by the commission reads.

“The forged documents that had been missing since October 2009 are the Board’s resolutions of Future View Securities Limited, Extra Oil Limited and Trajek Nigeria Limited.@

Meanwhile, Atuche is currently serving a six-year jail sentence over N25.7 billion fraud.

He was convicted in June 2021, alongside one Ugo Anyanwu who got a four-year sentence.

Their conviction and sentence has been affirmed by the supreme court.