Chief Judge Reassigns Alleged $101m Bankruptcy Suit against Orjiakor
Wale Igbintade
The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, has reassigned the $101 million bankruptcy suit involving Dr. Ambrose Orjiakor, to a new Judge, Justice Isaac Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The suit was originally before Justice Nicholas Oweibo, but was assigned to another judge, due to Justice Oweibo’s transfer out of the jurisdiction.
Access Bank filed the suit marked FHC/L/BK/08/2023, following the alleged inability of Orjiakor to pay the $101 million he allegedly owed the bank.
Listed as respondents in the suit are: Seplat Energy Plc; Helko Nigeria Limited, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc; Salvic Petroleum Resources Limited and Zebbra Energy Limited.
Others are: Ordrec Group Limited; Helko Marine Services Limited; Berwick Nigeria Limited; Abbeycourt Petroleum Company Limited; Abbeycourt Energy Services Limited; Abbeycourt Company Limited and Pursley Resources Limited.
In the suit, Mr. Kunle Ogunba (SAN) is the lead counsel to the creditor (Access Bank Plc) while Mr. O. Kalu appeared for the alleged debtor.
At the last hearing of the suit, Oweibo adjourned the suit to hear pending applications, including Access Bank’s contempt application against Orjiakor.
However, when the suit resumed yesterday, Dipeolu presided over the matter.
Addressing the court, Ogunba stated that although the matter was adjourned for resumption of hearing, he noticed that it was not listed on the case list.
Responding, Dipeolu explained that it was because the case file was in the custody of Oweibo for the purposes of vetting and signing the last ruling he delivered in the suit. Consequently, Justice Dipeolu adjourned the matter till February 2, 2024.
The court had on July 26, while granting an ex-parte motion filed by Ogunba, frozen Orjiako’s bank accounts and other assets over the alleged indebtedness.
The court ruled, among others, that the order subsists pending the determination of the bank’s motion on notice for the appointment of a special manager.
