Following an alleged missing document in an ongoing suit at the Aba High court, a litigant, Prince Nnanna Ukaegbu has petitioned the Chief Judge of Abia State, Justice Nnenna Abai.
Ukaegbu also asked the Judge in the suit, Justice I.N. Nwabughogu, to hands off the suit to await the investigation of his complaints by the Chief Judge.
In a petition titled, ”Complaint of unlawful tampering of the case file of court and stealing of filed document and forgery of document in Suit No: A/175/2007, Ms. Diane Lynn Ijioma & Anor (by their attorney, Prince A.N. Ukaegbu), V. Chief Abara Dickson Ijioma and 6 ors, pending before His Lordship, Hon. Justice I A. Nwabughogu, of the High court of Abia state”, Ukaegbu said he resolved to petition the Chief Judge because of the need for the stream of justice to remain unpolluted.
Ukaegbu stated that the First to Fourth Defendants in the suit had on 9th May, 2024, served a motion on his counsel which was captured in the record of proceedings of the court.
However, he further disclosed that the defendants called his lawyer on 10th May 2024, and informed him that there was a mistake in the earlier motion and needed another motion to correct the mistake.
”On 14th May,2024, the said 1st to 4th defendant, served the second motion on my counsel.
“What was, however, shocking is that the filing date of the motion is the 8th day of May, 2024, two days before the conception of the application.
“I applied for the certified true copy, but the Registrar of the High Court gave me the certified true copy but there was no more copy of the exhibit, the earlier motion, in the case file.”
Ukaegbu also stated that his lawyer has drawn the attention of the court to the missing exhibit from the court record.
He urged the Chief Judge to institute an investigation on how the exhibit was tampered with and found missing from the record of the court.
“Who tampered with the case file? Who pilfered the file copy of a process duly filed and served? Are there no administration consequences for the unlawful removal of documents from court’s file?
“Arising from the foregoing, I pray your Lordship to initiate an investigation into my complaint especially since there have been several previous tampering of my processes in the same court’s file which i have glossed over.”