SAN FRANCISCO, May 02, (THEWILL) – The founder of Daar Communications PLC, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, has filed charges against the federal government for including his name on a list of alleged looters of its treasury.
This was in a suit dated April 30 and filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, where he asked the Minister of information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, as well as his counterpart in the justice ministry, Abubakar Malami, to pay N5 billion as damages for alleged defamation of his character.
THEWILL recalls that following the publication of the list of alleged looters of government’s treasury, Dokpesi’s lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, wrote a pre-litigation letter seeking a retraction of the publication and threatening a law suit if his demands were not heeded.
Although he is facing trial for alleged diversion of N2.1 billion, Dokpesi has denied any involvement in the crime.
Dokpesi also asked the court to stop the defendants from further publishing anything relating to the alleged defamatory remarks mentioned in the suit.
He is also asking the court to determine whether Mr Mohammed had the legal authority to pronounce him a public looter, without an order of court, to that effect and an order nullifying the media publications where the said remarks were made.
