Alleged Certificate Forgery: Court discharges case against Bayelsa Senator, Konbowei

An FCT High Court sitting in Apo has discharged Senator Benson Friday Konbowei (PDP-Bayelsa Central) charged with certificate forgery.

Konbowei was arraigned before the court on March 26 on a three-count charge, in which he was among others, accused of forging an exemption certificate of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.

Justice Christopher Oba on Monday discharged Konbowei and struck out the charge shortly after prosecuting lawyer Reuben Egwuaba applied to discontinue the prosecution.

Egwuaba told the court at the mention of the case on Monday that the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, who earlier issued him a fiat to prosecute the case, has withdrawn the fiat and directed him to withdraw the charge.

Egwuaba consequently applied to withdraw the charge.

Defence lawyer, Chris Uche, SAN, who led his junior brother, Gordy Uche, SAN, and others for the Senator, did not oppose the withdrawal.

Justice Oba, who elected to strike out the charge, however, rejected Uche’s application that the charge be dismissed.