Contempt: Court summons GTB MD, Chairman over disobedience to court orders
Doosuur Iwambe
A Federal High Court sitting in Awka has summoned the Managing Director, Guaranty Trust Bank Segun Agbaje, its chairman Mrs Osaretin Demuren to appear before it and explain why they should not be committed to prison over their flagrant disobedience to court orders.
This order is coming several months after the duo unlawful violated the subsisting orders of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, Awka division as well as interfering with due administration of Justice.
In a statement signed by its Head Corporate Communications Cornel Osigwe, the company stated that the court issued the summons after counsel to Innoson Nigeria Ltd;
Prof McCarthy Mbadugha prayed an order that, ‘’the acts of thuggery, extreme hooliganism and outright lawlessness of the cited parties in obstructing and in stopping the Sheriffs/bailiffs of the Honourable Court from attaching, seizing and distressing the properties of the Garnishee/Debtor amounts to wilful and contemptuous violation of the subsisting orders of this Honourable Court as well as obstructing and interfering with the course of justice and due administration of justice’’.
The reliefs read in part: ‘’An order of this Honourable Court commanding and or mandating the appearance of the cited parties on a day, date, time and venue as may be deemed fit by this Honourable Court to physically appear and show CAUSE why they should not be committed for contempt and sent to PRISON for the wilful, deliberate, wanton and unlawful violation of the subsisting Orders of this Honourable Court and or interfering with or obstructing the court’s due administration of Justice as epitomized by acts of hooliganism, thuggery, extreme lawlessness and condemnable impunity as exhibited on the 29th and 30th of March, 2019 and on the 1st April, 2019.
‘’An order that the acts of thuggery, extreme hooliganism and outright lawlessness of the garnishee/debtor and or the parties cited in this application in breaking into all the properties of the garnishee/debtor distressed, attached and seized by the bailiffs/sheriffs of the Honourable Court pursuant to a writ of fifa issued by the Honourable Court for that purpose and retrieved those properties, undistressed as well as released them from attachment and or seizure amounts to a grievous contempt of this Honourable Court of the worst specie.
‘’An order denying the Garnishee/Debtor, the cited parties – contemnors – or any other person affiliated or related to them, their counsel further or other audience or an opportunity to seek judicial intervention or palliatives before this Honourable Court – or any other Court of the Federal High Court until they purge themselves of contempt’’.
