Ebonyi State government has urged the general public to discountenance a trending publication credited to one firm known as and called Andrew Bishopton Nig. Limited and its partners, Mauritz Walton Nig Ltd, claiming that they got order of the Court to garnish the accounts of Ebonyi State Government.
The Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Hon Uchenna Orji, who stated this while briefing Journalists in Abakaliki, described the claim as shenanigans of fraudsters.
The Federal High Court sitting in Port Hercourt Division, had ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria to commence deduction of over N30billion from the Federation Allocation Account, for Ebonyi State Government.
In its Order Absolute, the Court equally ruled that the Ebonyi State Government should pay the firm, ANDREW BISHOPTON NIG LIMITED and its partners, Mauritz Walton Nig Limited, the sum of N118,787,380.00) and other sums for failing to keep to the terms of the contract agreement, it entered with the latter.
It was learnt that in 2016, the Ebonyi State Government allegedly contracted ANDREW BISHOPTON NIG LIMITED to pursue and recover monies illegally deducted on both its foreign and local loans and facilities.
The firm, it was gathered, approached the Court following the state government alleged reluctance to keep to the agreed contract terms, a development that had led to legal battle between Ebonyi State government and the two firms.
But the Commissioner said Ebonyi State government had in different communications extracted confessions from the representatives of Andrew Bishopton Nig Limited to the effect that the said company and its partners acted in bad faith and had no contractual basis to make claims against the State Government and or the Local Government Councils in the State in respect of any transaction executed or services rendered whatsoever for or on behalf of the State Government and or Local Government Councils.
According to him, the representatives of Andrew Bishopton Nig Limited had on the 2nd day August, 2022, in affidavit of facts they deposed, voluntarily distanced themselves from Suit No FHC/CS/35/2022 between Andrew Bishopton Nig Limited & Anor and the Government of Ebonyi State & Ors and the judgment thereof delivered on 15/7/2022 and they further stated among others:
i. that the persons who instituted this Suit do not have the consent of Andrew Bishopton Nig Limited to institute the case.
ii. that the Directors of the company never passed any Resolution authorizing the commencement of the Suit.
iii. that the State Government and or Local Government Councils do not owe Andrew Bishopton Nig Limited any sum.
iv.and that the Suit was brought in bad faith as the State Government and or Local Government Councils are not indebted to Andrew Bishopton Nig Limited in any sum.
Orji further added: “The Local Government Councils of the State which had just little business with the said Andrew Bishopton Nig Limited had already gone to a Court of competent Jurisdiction and secured a valid and subsisting Order restraining the said Companies and other relevant parties from further making such outrageous claims of unfounded contract and or meddling in the free flow of their allocations.
“The State Government which was falsely and ridiculously sued by the scandalous companies has secured a valid Order setting aside the Order Nisi and Order Absolute for lacking in merit and the appeal is now being heard on merit at the Court of Appeal.
“Infact, through a Court Order dated 7th July, 2022, the High court restrained the said companies, their privies and other necessary banks from accepting for, permitting or allowing the execution of any judgment either by garnishee or any writ of execution whatsoever, against the respective Local Government Areas or any of their Departments, Agencies and Assigns or Government of Ebonyi State without due compliance with Section 3 of Ebonyi State Sheriffs and Civil process (Amendment) Law No.005 2018 and Section 84 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 by first obtaining the consent of the Honourable Attorney General of Ebonyi State pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit already filed in the Court.
“We view the claims of Andrew Bishopton Nig Limited as absolutely irresponsible as they had in an affidavit dated 2nd August, 2022 confessed that the State Government had released the sum of N50,000,000 (Fifty Million Naira) to Andrew Bishopton Nig Limited as one and final payment/settlement of any perceived professional fee in the course of their earlier but duly terminated consultancy services, while we view the claims of Mauritz Walton Nig Ltd as reprehensibly fraudulent as the company has no material relationship whatsoever with the State Government and or Local Government Councils of the State.
“This statement of fact was confirmed by Andrew Bishopton Limited in the affidavit sworn by its representative before the High Court registry dated 2nd August, 2022 wherein the representative of the company stated that Mauritz Walton Nig Ltd is unknown to the transaction, subject matter of the Suit and that the judgment in the Suit was obtained by misrepresentation and without the consent of Andrew Bishopton Nig Limited and thus is bound to be set aside. The Court of competent jurisdiction further reprimanded the said Mauritz Walton Nig Ltd and awarded damages against the company for attempting to obtain judgment by fraudulent means.”
Orji urge members of the public to “ignore the antics of the habitually infamous companies viz: Andrew Bishopton Nig Limited and Mauritz Walton Nig Ltd. We are confident that they will irredeemably hit the rocks as their mission is unreasonably evil.”
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