The absence of Justice Obiora Egwuatu of a Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday stalled the planned arraignment of the Managing Director (MD), Dana Air, Hathiramani Jacky Ranesh, on allegations bordering on fraud.
Ravenewsonline.com had, on June 30, reported that the court fixed the arraignment of Ranesh and two other defendants for Oct. 13.
The case, which was on number five on the cause list, however, could not proceed due to Justice Egwuatu’s official engagement at the judges’ seminar in Lagos State.
Although counsel to the Dana MD, Ade Adedeji, SAN, was sighted in court, Ranesh was not seeing as at the time of filing the report.
Ravenewsonline.com reports that in the suit marked: CR/101/21 the MD of Dana Air is the first defendant.
Ravenewsonline.com reports that at the last adjourned date, while other defendants were in court, Ranesh was absent.
Adedeji had told the court that the absence of his client in court was to the knowledge of the prosecution.
When the matter was called, Adedeji, said he was in court to represent Dana MD, Ramesh, after they were served with the notice of arraignment
The lawyer had told the court that his client was not in the country.
“The charge before this honourable court is a serious matter.
“We came in from Lagos just to come and explain to your lordship the circumstances that informed our acceptance of service without knowing that the date is coming so soon.
“We didn’t know before we accepted it. We have an option not to accept this but as officer in the temple of justice, we felt we are under obligation to accept on his (Ranesh’s) behalf.
“But to the knowledge of counsel to the prosecution, the principal defendant is not in the country which was made known to the prosecution.
“It is on the basis of these circumstances that we shall be appealing to your lordship for an adjournment my lord to enable the defendant appear before this honourable court,” he had said.
And after counsel to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Wilson Michelangelo, did not oppose the request for an adjournment, Egwuatu fixed Oct. 13 for arraignment of the suspects.
The court fixed Feb. 15, 2022 for arraignment.
Ravenewsonline.com gathered that Dana Air MD, Ranesh was born in West Africa in 1950, his career spans over four decades of fruitful endeavour. As a young graduate, and himself an entrepreneur at heart, he commenced his own trading operations in the early 70s.
Some years later, breaking away from the tradition of dealing in general merchandise, he laid the foundations of his first pharmaceutical manufacturing unit.
The seed of what was to become the Dana Group of Companies was sown and over the years he began diversifying into new fields, specialising in the MNC dominated field of industrial chemicals.
Further expansions into new industries continued alongside a growing portfolio of trading operations, popularising the Dana brand as a name synonymous with quality and affordability, and also representing world-class brands in Nigeria and the Sub-Saharan region.
His business enterprise and acumen have resulted into a well-diversified and financially strong Group of Companies recognised as a foremost business house in Nigeria with a firm industrial base
