The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that Mr Karl Toriola, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, and others were evading service of court documents on them.

FCCPC, through its lawyer, Nsitem Chizenum, told Justice Hauwa Yilwa upon resumed hearing of the matter on Wednesday.

FCCPC had, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/354/2024, dragged the MTN Nigeria Communications Plc; Toriola; Tobechukwu Okigbo, MTN’s Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, and Ikenna Ikeme, General Manager, Regulatory Affairs of MTN, to court  as 1st to 4th defendants respectively.

They were preferred with two counts in the charge, dated July 19, 2024, and filed July 22, 2024 by a team of lawyers led by Akoji Achimugu.

The defendants would be arraigned over alleged failure to produce documents and information required by the commission in compliance with a lawful summons contrary to the FCCPC Act.

The matter was fixed for May 28 for the defendants to take their plea.

When the matter was called on Wednesday, none of the defendants was in court.

The lawyer who appeared for FCCPC, Chizenum, told the judge that it was obvious that the defendants were not in court.

He said on the last adjourned date, the court hinted that it was the duty of the prosecution to bring the defendants to court, hence, efforts were made to produce them in court today.

“We have made several efforts and we equally used the bailiff of this court to serve them but it seems they were evading service my lord,” he said.

The lawyer also told the court that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) had been involved and that their application was being processed by the NPF with a view to produce the defendants in court.

“In the circumstance, we ask for an adjournment to enable us bring the defendants for arraignment my lord,” he said.

Justice Yilwa subsequently adjourned the until Sept. 25 for arraignment.

In count one, the MTN Nigeria Communications PLC, Toriola, Okigbo and Ikeme were alleged to have on or about June 18, 2024 did without sufficient cause failed to produce documents and or information which they were required to produce, “in compliance with a lawful Summons and Request to Produce dated May 17, 2024.”

The commission alleged that the compliance with same summon was further extended by a letter dated June 5, 2024 and they thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 33 (3) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018.

In count two, the defendants were alleged to have “on or about June 18, 2024, in furtherance, and continuation of extant refusal to produce documents and supply information required by the commission under statutory notice and demand, did impede and obstruct the FCCPC’s ongoing limited initial inquiry and possible prospective investigation by refusing to produce and supply documents and or information” requested.

The offence is said to be contrary to Section 111 (1) of the FCCP Act, 2018, and punishable under Section 111 (2) of the same act.

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) had, in another matter, filed charge against MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd; its CEO, Toriola; MTN Senior Executive Officer, Nkeakam Abhulimen; Fun Mobile Ltd, a telecommunications service provider; and Yahaya Maibe, its CEO.

The NCC, in the three-count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/111/2024 presently before Justice Inyang Ekwo of a sister court, filed it on March 20, 2024.

The prosecution had alleged that the defendants, between 2010 and 2017, “offered for sale, sold and traded for business, infringed musical works of Maleke Moye, an artiste, without his consent and authorisation.”

The commission alleged that the defendants used Maleke’s musical works and sound recordings with subsisting copyright, known as “caller ring back tunes” without the authorization of the artiste, among others.

The copyright commission said the alleged offence is punishable under Section 20 (2) (a) (b) and (c) of the Copyright Act, Cap. C28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Justice Ekwo had, on Feb. 25, adjourned the matter until May 15 for report, following the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF)’s interest to take over the case.

However, the matter could not proceed on May 15 because the court did not sit.(NAN)