…UK tribunal raises red flags, as ICPC lines up witnesses
…SAN accused of deploying falsified passport in UK proceedings
Federal authorities have filed a three-count criminal charge against constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, over alleged forgery and the use of false documents linked to a contested property in the United Kingdom.
The charges, marked FCT/HC/CR/010/2026, were presented before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission acting on the instruction of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.
According to the charge sheet, the Federal Government alleges that the senior lawyer knowingly submitted forged documents to bolster his claim of ownership over a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX.
The prosecution specifically alleges that Ozekhome fabricated a Nigerian international passport, number A07535463, bearing the name Mr Shani Tali, and used it to persuade the First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) in London that the house had been gifted to him by the purported passport holder.
Count two of the charge states:
“That you Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN… sometime in August 2021 or thereabout at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, while being a legal practitioner and Senior Advocate of Nigeria did make a false document, to wit: Nigeria passport A07535463 bearing the name of Mr. Shani Tali with intent to use same to support claim of ownership of property known and described as 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX with intent to commit fraud.”
Government lawyers argue that the alleged conduct breaches Section 13 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and carries a penalty under Section 24 of the same legislation.
The criminal action stems from an intense legal dispute in the United Kingdom concerning ownership of the London property. The case before the UK tribunal involved Ozekhome and a competing claimant, Ms Tali Shani.
Ozekhome had insisted that he obtained the house as a gift from Mr Tali Shani in 2021, although the tribunal reportedly rejected the narrative and raised significant concerns about the identities of the two individuals named Tali Shani as well as the validity of the documents submitted, including the passport forming the substance of the current criminal proceedings in Abuja.
Prosecution efforts are being coordinated by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, the ICPC’s Head of High Profile Prosecution Department. Investigators and officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service are listed among the witnesses expected to testify.
A date has yet to be scheduled for the arraignment of the Senior Advocate.