Magu slammed with contempt charge

A contempt charge has been filed against Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), at an Abuja high court over his alleged disobedience of court order.

The contempt charge contained on form 49 of the Abuja high court is asking Magu to show cause why he should not be committed to prison.

The contempt charge followed the refusal of the EFCC to obey an order issued by Justice Peter Affen of the Abuja high court regarding the unlawful arrest and detention of an Austrian security expert, Wolgang Reinl.

Justice Affen had also ordered the EFCC to immediately release the international passport, cheque books, cell-phones and other property of the foreign businessman unlawfully seized from in December 2015 when his Abuja house was invaded and ransacked by operatives of the anti-graft agency.

The judge had ordered the EFCC to pay the security expert a sum of N10m as compensatory damages for his unlawful detention from December 28, 2015 to February 5, 2016.

The contempt charge addressed to the EFCC chairman read in part: “Take notice that the applicant will apply to this court for an order for your committal to prison for having disobey the order of this court as made by honourable Justice Peter Affen of the FCT high court in Abuja on April 20, 2016 requiring you to release forthwith the applicant international passport seized or confiscated in the wake of his arrest and detention and delist him from your watchlist or no-fly list.

“And also for your failure to obey the order of the court requiring you to pay the applicant the sum of N10m as compensatory damages for the violation of his fundamental rights to dignity of human person and personal liberty.”