EFCC re-arraigns ex-Bank PHB MD, Francis Atuche, over alleged forgery

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday re-arraigned Francis Atuche, former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank), alongside Joachim Nnosiri and Uguru Onyike, for alleged forgery.

The trio is facing a nine-count charge of forgery, conspiracy, and falsification of documents before the Ikeja Special Offences Court. The alleged offences occurred on March 4, 2013, in Lagos.

According to the EFCC, Atuche instructed Nnosiri, a former office assistant at the bank, to deliver forged documents to the bank’s corporate headquarters in Lagos for use as court exhibits.

The documents, purportedly board resolutions of Future View Securities Ltd, Extra Oil Ltd, and Trajek Nigeria Ltd, were reported missing from the bank since October 2009.

The anti-graft agency stated that the offences contravene Sections 364, 363, and 409 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

During the re-arraignment, EFCC counsel Fanen Anum requested a trial date, stating the case would begin afresh.

Defense counsel Anthony Ejere and Clement Onwuenwunor (SAN) appealed to the court to uphold the defendants’ previous bail conditions, a request that Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe granted.

The judge adjourned the trial to May 6, 2025, for commencement.

The case, initially heard by Justice Habeeb Abiru, was reassigned following his elevation to the Appeal Court.

It was later handled by Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, who retired before the case was reassigned to Justice Abike-Fadipe.