Court rejects President Jonathan’s letterhead in Leadership journalists’ suit

A Federal Capital Territory High Court
in Kubwa, on Tuesday rejected a plane
letterhead of the office of President
Goodluck Jonathan tendered by the
Federal Government in the forgery suit
instituted against two journalists with
the Leadership newspaper.
The Leadership Group Limited, its
Group News Editor, Mr. Tony
Amokeodo, and a senior
correspondent with the newspaper,
Chibuzor Ukaibe, are facing 11 counts
of forgery and conspiracy following
the publication of the bromide of a
presidential directive by the
newspaper on April 3, 2013.
At the resumed hearing of the case on
Wednesday, the prosecuting counsel,
Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN),
sought to tender the plane letterhead
in his bid to prove the forgery
allegation against the accused.
But Justice Usman Musale rejected
the document, upholding the
contention of the defence counsel, Mr.
Femi Falana (SAN), who had argued
that the exhibit was not admissible
since it was certified by the Office of
the Chief of Staff to the President
instead of the office of the President
itself.
Falana said, “What they sought to
tender is a blank sheet of paper from
the Office of the Chief of Staff to the
President. Since the witness has said
that he got a certified true copy from
the Office of the Chief of Staff, he
cannot tender it.
“He cannot seek to tender a letterhead
paper from the Office of the Chief of
Staff because there is dichotomy
between the President and the Chief of
Staff. The document in dispute is from
the Office of the President and not
from the office of the Chief of Staff. I
urge the court to reject it in the
interest of justice.”
Awomolo had sought to tender the
document through a prosecution
witness in the case, Mr. Ibrahim Bako,
a police officer.
Bako had testified that the police
received complaint about the case and
that in the course of the investigation
he went to the Presidency and met an
assistant director, Abiye White, who
gave him a blank letterhead paper
from the office of the President.
He concluded that the published letter
could not have emanated from the
Presidency.
Bako added that the investigation
revealed that the bromide and the Coat
of Arms in the publication did not tally
with the document he obtained from
the Presidency.
At that point, Awomolo sought to
tender a certified true copy of the
letterhead paper which the witness
said was obtained from the office of
the President.
In response to Falana’s objection,
Awomolo said it was misconceived.
He further argued that the document
was from the officer who had custody
of it.
“It is wrong to expect that the
President will certify documents by
himself,” Awomolo said.
But Justice Musale in his ruling
rejected the document, saying that it
could not be admitted as exhibit
against the accused person.
The case has been adjourned to
January 21, 2014.