A State High Court successful Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, connected 11 April, awarded N5 cardinal arsenic damages against a vigor speech amusement big successful a libel suit filed by a erstwhile authoritative of the Akwa Ibom State Government.
The speech amusement host, Mathew Okono, popularly known as Citizen MKO, is to wage the wealth to Elijah Akpan, a erstwhile chairperson of the Akwa Ibom State Investment Corporation (AKICORP), a authorities authorities bureau focused connected promoting investments, entrepreneurship and concern development.
Mr Okono is to wage the wealth done his company, Matascovy Supply Services, arsenic punitive damages for a malicious work against Mr Akpan.
Mr Akpan sued Mr Okono implicit a 29 May 2020 work successful a Uyo-based Post newspaper, alleging that the authoritative was progressive successful a declaration scam.
Mr Okono is said to person made different work successful the aforesaid paper connected 5 June 2020, with the header “AKICORP Chairperson successful alleged declaration scam – whitethorn soon beryllium invited by anti-corruption agencies”.
Mr Akpan was the chairperson of the bureau nether the medication of erstwhile Governor Udom Emmanuel.
‘Alleged declaration scam’
Mr Okono told PREMIUM TIMES that helium utilized his company, Matascovy Supply Services, to get a N4.1 cardinal indebtedness to execute a occupation for AKICORP successful October 2015, but that Mr Akpan, who was past the chairperson of the agency, “refused” to wage him the wealth successful full, starring to the accumulation of involvement connected the loan.
He said Mr Akpan besides refused to contented him a occupation order, a papers that authorises a idiosyncratic oregon store to execute circumstantial enactment oregon a service, detailing the scope, requirements, and often the terms oregon duration of the task.
Mr Okono confirmed the tribunal ruling but denied that helium authorised the publication.
He further said that the work was against AKICORP, and not Mr Akpan arsenic a person, and wondered wherefore Mr Akpan sued his company.
He told PREMIUM TIMES that helium had applied for a enactment of execution and a certified existent transcript of the judgement to alteration him to record an appeal.
He said the tribunal delivered the judgement connected 11 April, but that helium had yet to beryllium issued with the court’s certified existent transcript to facilitate an appeal.
Mr Okono told our newsman that the tribunal was demanding N700,000 for the certified existent transcript of the judgement.
Ex-official speaks connected post-judgement issues
Speaking done his lawyer, Anthony Ebuk, Mr Akpan dismissed Mr Okono’s assertion that helium collected a indebtedness of N4.1 cardinal to execute a occupation for AKICORP.
“This has been the lies helium peddled successful an effort to extort wealth from AKICORP,” the lawyer, Mr Ebuk, told PREMIUM TIMES connected Wednesday, 3 August.
“For a declaration whose archetypal grant worth was astir N2million, however could helium instrumentality a indebtedness of that value?”
READ ALSO: Wike inaugurates operation of caller magistrates’ tribunal complex
Mr Ebuk said AKICORP’s autarkic committee acceptable up to resoluteness Mr Okono’s ailment presented a study which showed that helium was afloat paid for the occupation helium did.
“He past resorted to claims of a phantom loan. He was ne'er capable to amusement grounds that helium took immoderate indebtedness to execute the job, either astatine the Special Committee oregon astatine the Court.
“When asked astir the sanction of the slope and grounds of receipt of the loan, helium said it was a backstage loan, with nary grounds of drawdown.
“How ...
Related
Tinubu Calm Amid US Threats, Says Information Minister
English (US) ·