Former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo SAN has vowed to appeal after a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja slammed a N10 million fine on him over a “frivolous” suit instituted against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Joined as a defendant in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/84/2023 is the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
In the suit, Keyamo asked the court to compel the ICPC to probe Atiku over alleged corruption when he served as Nigeria’s vice president between 1999 and 2007.
But in a ruling delivered on Monday, the presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the suit is “frivolous, vexatious, and an abuse of court processes”.
The judge ordered that N5 million each be paid in favour of Abubakar and the ICPC.
A statement issued by John Ainetor (Esq), Assistant Head of Festus Keyamo Chambers, Abuja Office, read, “Earlier today, a Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the case filed by Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, against the candidate of the PDP in the last Presidential Election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar over the SPV saga principally because the court was of the opinion that the law-enforcement agencies were not given enough time to commence investigations before the suit was filed, amongst other sundry reasons.
“Our client respectfully disagrees with the reasons for the said decision because the law-enforcement agencies did not indicate their willingness to commence investigations, even if they were given more time. We want to establish a legal principle that the society cannot wait as infinitum for law-enforcement agencies to do their statutory duties.”
“The suit was designed to prompt the agencies to show their readiness to investigate. We are immediately filing an appeal against the said decision to the Court of Appeal as the struggle on this issue continues,” the statement further read.