A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, struck out one of the nine counts of $1.6bn crude oil fraud established against businessman, Jide Omokore, and five others.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, in a ruling, struck out the eighth count after hearing an application by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, who had alleged that she was indicted in the particular count, yet was not given the opportunity to defend herself.
The six, named as defendants in the case included, Omokore, his two companies, Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Limited.
The other defendants are a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, Victor Briggs; a former Group Executive Director, Exploration and Production of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Abiye Membere; and a former Manager, Planning and Commercial of the NNPC, David Mbanefo.
Details later…