$418m Paris Club Refund: Court Orders Substituted Service On 4 SANs

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered for substituted service on four Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), who are facing contempt charge proceedings before the court in the $418 million Paris Club refund suit.

The order for substituted service was issued by Justice Inyang Ekwo following complaints that the four senior lawyers had refused to personally receive the charge as required by law.

The lawyers are Sunday Ibrahim Ameh, Jubrin Okutepa, Garba Tetengi and Olumuyiwa Akinboro.

The contempt charge was initiated against them by a private company, Panic Alerts and its sponsor, George Uboh, who accused the lawyers of engaging in wrongdoings in their service to their client.

In the contempt charge, the SANs were alleged to have placed a “caveat emptor” on the judgment of the Federal High Court which granted permission to President Muhammadu Buhari to deduct the $418 million from the financial allocations of the 36 state governments as payments for debt they incurred during the Paris Club refund contract.

The implication of the “Caveat Emptor”, according to the two applicants, was to impede the execution of the $418 million judgment debt against the 36 states as their clients.

At yesterday’s proceeding, counsel to George Uboh and Panic Alert, Emeka Okoro, moved an ex-parte application asking Justice Ekwo to order the contempt charge to be served on the senior lawyers through courier on the ground that they allegedly evaded personal service as required by law.

The aggrieved applicants asked the court for an order to serve the contempt charge on the lawyers through a nominated courier company and by pasting same in their respective offices.

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