Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court Abuja has issued an arrest warrant against the Managing Director of Dana Air, Hathiramani Ranesh, over alleged refusal to appear in court to stand trial.
In a Ruling, Justice Egwuatu held that the arrest of Ranesh is necessary following his refusal to appear in court after he was served with the charge and several proceedings taken in the matter.
The Judge held that in line with Section 184 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, the court can issue an arrest warrant against any defendant who refused to appear in court.
He subsequently adjourned the matter to January 13, 2025 for hearing.
On October 10th, Federal Government, through its lawyer, had prayed the court to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of Dana Air MD.
She had argued that Ranesh had refused to appear for his arraignment in the charge preferred against him by the Office of the Attorney-General of Federation (AGF).
But the defence lawyer had disagreed. He argued that they had filed a preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter and that the prosecution had already been served.
