A Federal High Court 4 sitting in Abuja, has threatened to sanction the Imo Attorney-general, Chief Captain Akaolisa for flouting the directives of the Court on the Probe Panel constituted to probe a former governor of the State, Rochas Okorocha.
The Court had earlier granted an interim injunction restraining the Probe Panel from sitting until the determination of the substantive suit pending before the Court.
But the Panel constituted sitting in defiance of the Court directive.
The Attorney General was warned by the Court to ensure that he does not take actions that could confer a fait accompli situation on the court over matters being heard before it.
In a resumed sitting of the Court in suit number; FHC/ABJ/CS/558/2020, and presided over by Justice Umar Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja, Okorocha’s lawyer, Oba Maduabuchi (SAN) informed the Court that contrary to its earlier directive, the Probe Panels have continued to sit, even though the Attorney-General had through his counsel severally told the court that he had ordered the panels to suspend their sittings and entered an undertaking to that effect.]
He argued that only a formal Order of the court would restrain the respondents from continuing with the probe pending the determination of the suit.
In his response, Justice Umar Mohammed warned the Attorney General to ensure that the probe is not concluded before the conclusion of the suit before him and threatened personal sanctions against him should the instruction of the Court be further flouted.
The Court also threatened to nullify all proceedings of the panel should they go ahead to conclude the probe before the determination of the substantive suit.
The matter was adjourned to August 5th.