•Tigran Gambaryan arrives at the Federal High Court Abuja in a wheelchair today
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Dr Abraham Ehizojie, the medical doctor at the health facility of the Kuje Correctional Centre, over alleged refusal to produce the medical report of the detained executive of Binance Holdings Ltd, Tigran Gambaryan.
Justice Nwite gave the order following an application by Gambaryan’s lawyer, Mark Mordi, today, reports Channels TV.
Gambaryan was whisked into the court building in a wheelchair earlier in the day.
He, alongside the cryptocurrency firm, is facing a money laundering charge preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Nwite had, on July 5, ordered the management of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to release the medical certificate of Gambaryan on or before July 16.
The judge gave the order following an application by Mordi.
Mordi had prayed the court to summon Ehizojie to explain why he had allegedly refused to make available his client’s medical report despite an earlier court order.
Gambaryan had, on May 23, collapsed in the open court over alleged ill health.
At the resumed hearing today, Mordi said in open court that the judge’s order had not been complied with.
The judge then asked a prison official who brought Gambaryan to court about the development.
The prison official said he got the court order and delivered the order to the doctor on July 9, 2024.
The EFCC counsel, Ekene Iheanacho, told the judge that he thought that the medical officer would be in court today.
Mordi then prayed the court to issue a bench warrant against the medical officer of the correctional centre to be produced in court at the next adjourned date.
The lawyer also asked the court to make an order for his client to be given hospital remand immediately so that a thorough medical examination could be carried out on him to know his true state of health.
Iheanacho, who did not dispute the fact that the defendant should be given adequate treatment, disagreed that Gambaryan should be placed in hospital remand.
After listening to counsel’s submissions, Nwite said it was unfortunate that a government institution would be treating a court order with levity.
“I hereby make an order of bench arrant on the medical doctor at the Kuje Correctional Service, to appear before this court,” he said.
He also ordered that Gambaryan be taken to the Nizamiye Hospital for medicare for 24 hours, at any time of his choice but under full security surveillance.
The judge adjourned the matter until October 11 and October 18 for the continuation of the trial.
Earlier, Dr Olubukola Akinwunmi, Head, Payment Policy and Regulation Division at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), gave evidence and was cross-examined by Babatunde Fagbohunlu, SAN, counsel for Binance, the first defendant in the criminal charge.
