Francis Abusi, a former judge of the Imo State Customary Court of Appeal, has been charged by the federal government with lying about his age in order to benefit himself unfairly.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), according to a Barandbenchwatch article, is the government body bringing charges against him.
Abosi was taken before Justice U.P. Kekemeke of the FCT High Court, Maitama Abuja on a three-count charge touching on forgery and bestowing undue benefit on himself by the ICPC, the Commission claimed in a statement.
Investigations, according to the report, showed that Abosi gave the National Judicial Council Chairman his birthdate as November 17, 1958, before his appointments in 2010 and 2014. (NJC).
However, his good fortune ran out when the NJC contacted the Nigeria Law School to confirm his credentials.
Unfortunately, research from his alma institution, the University of Nigeria Nsukka, and the Law School both indicated that he was born on November 17, 1950.
The defendant cooperated with the NJC’s recommendation to proceed with his mandatory retirement after it had suspended him from office.
The Council then informed ICPC of the situation.
A portion of the charge against the defendant reads, “You Francis Abusi (M) sometime in April 2010 or thereabout at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honorable court while being a public officer to wit: Judge of the Imo State Customary Court of Appeal made a false statement to the Chairman of the National Judicial Council in the exercise of his office by stating in the National Judicial Council Data on judicial officers form that your date of birth is, in fact, April 1, 1990.
“When the charge was read to the defendant, he entered a “Not Guilty” plea.
The prosecution did not object to the defense attorney’s motion for bail, J. O. Asoluka, SAN.
As a result, the offender was given bail on self-recognizance.
The matter was subsequently postponed until a scheduled hearing on February 16, 2023. The statement is made.
