A Federal High Court in Lagos to delay judgment on January 23, 2024, in the case of alleged failed surgery filed against a Lagos surgeon, Anuoluwapo Adepoju.
The case was earlier scheduled for adoption of addresses, on Monday, but the court did not sit.
The counsel involved in the matter were not in court.
Newsmen later learnt that the case had been held virtually by the court and parties had adopted their addresses.
Judgement is now fixed for January 23, 2024.
The defendant was charged by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
She is standing trial alongside her Clinic, MedContour Services Ltd, on a five-count charge bordering on a refusal to honour an invitation for an investigation into post-body surgery complications, as well as the production of investigation documents.
She was re-arraigned on July 17, 2020, alongside her medical outfit, before Justice Mohammed Liman.
She had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail on self-recognition.
Justice Liman was subsequently, transferred out of the Lagos division of the court, but he still presides over the case on a fiat.
The trial has since commenced and the FCCPC has also since closed its case.
The defence on its part filed a no-case submission for the defendant on grounds that no case had been established against her by the prosecution, to warrant her entering a defence.
Meanwhile, Justice Liman had in a ruling delivered on April 7, 2022, rejected the no-case submission by the defendant.
Justice Liman had ruled that the evidence so far tendered before the court satisfies the elements of the criminal charges pending against the defendant.
The court had then ordered the defence to open its case.
The case, however, suffered several adjournments on different dates, for various reasons.
On May 5 (this year) the defence opened its case and called the first defendant as sole witness.
The defendant was led in evidence and also cross-examined after which the court adjourned the case until June 21, for adoption of written addresses.
On June 21, the court did not sit and the case was then adjourned until July 17, and again adjourned until October 24 and then November 20.
Meanwhile, the adoption of addresses which was scheduled for November 20 has now been held virtually and judgement fixed for January 23, 2024.
In the five-count charge brought against the defendants, the prosecution alleged that the first defendant failed to appear before the FCCPC in relation to an investigation into a reported failed plastic surgery.
The defendant was alleged to have failed to show up, in compliance with the commission’s summons dated April 15, 2020.
The prosecution also alleged that without sufficient cause, the first defendant also refused and failed to produce documents that she was required to produce in compliance with the commission’s notice of investigation dated April 14, 2020.
The defendant was alleged to have prevented and obstructed the commission from carrying out its investigation into the said issue.
The offence, the state said contravenes the provision of sections 11(1)(a), 33(1)(a), 110, 113(1)(a) and 159(4) of the FCCPC Act, 2018. (NAN)
